Voices
by Lugubrious DBB
Summary: She could remember the exact moment she first heard the voices. A dark retelling of the film from Elsa's point of view as she struggles to control the darkness inside of her. Rated T for angst, mild language, and tormented introspection.
1. Chapter 1: Tragedy

**Voices**

**Chapter One**

**Tragedy**

She could remember the exact moment she first heard the voices.

It was the day after the accident that nearly took her sister's life. One day—could it really only have been one?—after she—Princess Elsa, heir apparent to the throne of the kingdom of Arendelle—in a moment of childish merriment unleashed her unique abilities—her gift, her mother called it—and struck her younger sister in the head with a concentrated blast of arctic energy.

In that moment, Elsa realized, despite her mere eight years of life, that her powers were not some trinket to be frittered about for her own amusement. The fact that her sister's life had been spared through the intervention of an ancient and mysterious race of magic wielders did nothing to alleviate her guilt, her sorrow, her shame. Rather, the past 24 hours had seen her emotional state precipitously decline.

Her parents had quickly decided that Elsa was to be shut away from all human contact until she learned how to control her powers. As soon as they had arrived back at the palace from visiting the healers who saved her sister—no, Anna; my sister has a name, it's _Anna_!—Elsa was taken to her bedroom, without the opportunity to say goodbye to anyone, least of all to Anna. She had begged, bargained with, _pleaded with _her parents to reconsider—_It was an accident! I can control it! Please don't take me away from Anna! Mama! Papa! I'm sorry! Please don't hate me!_—but the king's decision was final. She could still remember the look on her father's face as he locked the door behind her, the image forever etched into her mind: a haunting mixture of fear, misery, regret, with perhaps a touch of shame, embarrassment, despair.

Had it really been only one day? For Elsa, it seemed as if it had been a lifetime. She spent that first day huddled in the corner, not daring to move lest she unintentionally unleash another wintry wave of destruction. Painful sobs racked her body over and over again; no matter how hard she tried to suppress them, they continued to pour out of her. At mealtimes, an unknown servant brought her tray, but Elsa never left the corner; she had neither the desire nor the energy to eat.

As painful as the first day was, it was nothing compared to what she experienced when she fell asleep. Instead of blessed slumber, Elsa instead saw Anna giggling in the ballroom—_Make it snow, Elsa!_—skating, dancing, oblivious to anything but the exhilaration of an indoor winter wonderland. Elsa could see herself laughing along, carelessly conjuring ice and snow, mountains and mountains of snow, without a care in the world. Without warning, her vision shifted: she saw Anna leaping from snowbank to snowbank—_Look at me go, Elsa! Higher! Higher!_—as dream-Elsa conjured larger and larger powdery towers to support her sister as she played. The room swirled in her mind, faster and faster, as she struggled to keep pace with her exhilarated sister—_Slow down, Anna! I can't keep up!_ But Anna didn't slow down, and as the Elsa in her mind desperately tried to keep up with her sister's reckless pace, the real Elsa tried to stop the madness—_Anna! Stop! I can't! I can't! _she screamed at Anna and dream-Elsa, neither of whom acknowledged her existence—while simultaneously trying to will herself out of this nightmare. _Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!_

But despite her protests, she did not wake up, and the horrific scene continued to play itself out before her eyes. Anna leaped too high, Elsa slipped on the ice—she _never _slipped, why had she slipped?!—her magic missed its target and struck Anna in the head, flinging her across the ballroom and landing her in a heap against the wall: unconscious, unmoving. And in her mind, Elsa screamed over and over again, for even though her conscious mind knew that Anna was okay, that she had survived, her subconscious instead showed her that the Anna in her dream would not move, would not breathe; she was colder than ice, and no matter how much dream-Elsa cradled her in a vain attempt to warm her, to bring life back to her frozen body, Anna would not wake, and the ice and snow swirled around both of them while her father screamed at her _You did this! You killed her! How could you?_ and her mother wailed in despair. And the screams and cries of her parents joined the cacophony as hundreds—or was it thousands?—of faceless forms joined the throng—_Unnatural! Unholy!_ they chanted relentlessly—as dream-Elsa and real-Elsa screamed—_Oh, God! Make it stop! Please make it stop!—_and screamed and screamed and screamed until—

Until Elsa woke, still screaming, her room covered in snow and ice unwillingly conjured by her gift—her _curse_—that mocked her, reminded her of the crimes she had committed against her sister, her own flesh and blood.

As she pulled herself to her feet, a fresh wave of sobs wracked her body and she collapsed to the floor again, no longer attempting to contain the anguish that tormented her soul. And as she wept, she heard it for the first time, ever so slightly, in her mind: _Unnatural! Unholy!_

Elsa lifted her tearstained face, nervously looking around her room. "Hello?" she called out, her voice little more than a whisper. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, she looked around the room for the source of the voice. "Is someone there?"

Of course no one was there, Elsa told herself; her father had made absolutely sure of it when he locked her in. And then she heard it again. This time, it was a laugh. Not a giggle, not a laugh of merriment, but a low-pitched cackle, growing louder and louder in her mind. Over the laughter, Elsa heard the voice once again: _Unnatural! Unholy!_

Terrified, the princess covered her ears, the temperature in the room dropping noticeably, frost beginning to coat the walls. "This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real," she whispered to herself, trying to convince herself that she was imagining things, that she was exhausted, that she had been through a traumatic experience and was hearing voices that weren't real.

But the voice wouldn't go away, and it was growing louder: _Unnatural! Unholy! _it repeated over and over again, an endless litany in her brain, pushing her, goading her.

Elsa clamped her hands harder over her ears, willing the voice to leave as she paced around the room in a desperate effort to drive it out of her mind. "Go away, you aren't real! Go away, you aren't real! Go away you aren't real go away you aren't real goawayyouaren'trealgoawayyouraren'trealgoawayyouaren'treal _GO AWAY!_"

Elsa fell to her knees in front of her mirror, and for the first time since the tragedy of the previous day she saw her reflection. A gasp escaped from her lips as she saw the striking change in her appearance. Gone was the light that always shone in her eyes; they were now dull, heavy, bloodshot, full of sorrow. Her normally immaculate hair was disheveled and scattered about. Her typically rosy cheeks were now white and pale, while her lips—so used to being turned up in a smile—was drawn and taught. _What is happening to me?_ the young princess thought, a lump catching in her throat.

_Yes, what _is_ happening to you, you vicious little demon? _The voice was back, louder than before. _What, you weren't happy sharing the kingdom with your sister? You wanted her out of the way so you could rule unopposed when your father was dead?_ _Is THAT what happened? IS IT?!_

"NO!" Elsa cried, shaking her head in denial. "That's not true! Go away NOW!"

To her horror, her reflection smiled back wickedly at her and laughed. _Go away? Go away?! I'm not going anywhere! I'm a part of you, dearie_. Elsa recoiled as somehow, impossibly, inexplicably, her reflection leaned forward, reached out of the mirror, and touched her right above her heart. _Right here!_

"Get away from me!" Elsa screamed, scooting backwards across the floor, away from whatever devil was in her mirror, a thin layer of ice forming where her hands came into contact with wood.

Her reflection cackled again. _You can try to hide from me, dearie, but I'll always be a part of you. The part of you you don't want to admit exists. What you fear more than anything! The part of you that almost killed your sister and will hurt anyone you let get close to you!_

Tears began to stream down Elsa's cheeks once more, despite her best efforts to contain them. "Why are you doing this? I don't want to hurt anyone! Please . . . just leave me alone!"

Her reflection threw back her head and laughed maniacally as the chant began again, multiplying in intensity and volume in her mind. Over and over and over, unceasingly, in her mind it rang out: _Unnatural, unholy! Unnatural, unholy! Unnatural, unholy! _Building and building as Elsa closed her eyes, covered her ears, and tried to be somewhere else—anywhere else where she didn't have to be reminded of what she was: a freak of nature, an abomination, something unnatural and unholy; unworthy of her father's affection, her mother's care, Anna's love.

The crescendo of voices in her mind reached its climax and, with the power of ten thousand voices dripping with hatred and venom, a single word ripped through her consciousness: _MONSTER!_

Elsa screamed—in rage, despair, anguish, she didn't know—and a stream of ice erupted from her fingertips, shattering the mirror into thousands of tiny crystalline pieces that scattered about the room. The voices in her mind were immediately silenced; all Elsa heard was the quiet tingling of glass fragments hitting the floor and her own gut-wrenching sobs. So distraught was she that she heard nothing else that day, not even the quiet knocks on the door and a young girl's voice pleading, "Elsa? Can you please come out? I miss you. . . ."

* * *

The voices never truly went away, but, with time, Elsa learned to ignore them, to suppress them in the same way she was able to suppress her growing powers. _Conceal it, don't feel it! _became her credo. It did not matter to her that she was miserable inside, lonely, depressed, full of fear and self-loathing. All that mattered was that the world—that _Anna_—was safe from her. For despite appearances—the poised, regal manner she worked so desperately to maintain on the rare occasions when she was forced to interact with others—Elsa knew the truth about herself: she was indeed unnatural, unholy. But for the sake of Anna and her subjects, she carried on, even if she had to suffer in silence, from a distance, alone and unapproachable.

And suffer she did. For to her horror, Elsa discovered that no matter how much she tried to suppress it, to fight it, every night her dreams would be exactly the same. Anna would be dead, killed—no, _murdered_—by her own hand. And the throng of specters would rise and curse her and revile her, over and over again without pause, until she would finally wake herself up with her own screams.

And every night before she went to bed to face her demons again, she would think the same thing: _I may be a monster._ _But, Anna, I swear I will never harm you again. Ever._

And every night as she closed her eyes, she would remind herself: _Conceal it, don't feel it!_, ignoring the cackling in her ears and the growing fear that she was on the verge of losing control not only of her powers, but of her very mind and soul.

* * *

**AN: This is the first piece of fiction I have published for public consumption. This particular idea got in my head and would not leave until I wrote it down. My plan is to create a series of vignettes exploring Elsa's mental state at various points during the film _Frozen. _Feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2: Loss

**Voices **

**Chapter Two**

**Loss**

Few understand what it means to be truly isolated, truly alone. Of course, there are always those who willingly elect to distance themselves from humanity, from companionship, for any number of reasons, whether rational or ill-conceived. Yet even the most misanthropic among them have one thing that prevents them from achieving true isolation: the power of choice. After all, can one truly be alone if one retains the freedom to embrace the world or shut oneself away of their own volition? For even the hardest of hearts can be swayed to return to the shelter of humanity, provided they have that option available to them.

For Elsa, however, her isolation was total and complete. The world beyond the four walls of her bedroom may as well have been ephemeral, mythical, a legend old, wise ones pass on to their grandchildren while the cynics among them scoff and jeer. Her bedroom had become her entire world, her dominion, her regency and estate; the ottoman, her footstool; the bed, her majestic throne. To suggest to her there was a world beyond her fiefdom was tantamount to torture, for she knew that the world outside was not safe from her.

Had it really been ten years already? At this point, Elsa had lost all track of time. Days melded into weeks, into months, into years with little distinction between the three. Her only respite from her solitude was when she was permitted to exit her room for a few blessed hours each day for her training in the art of ruling a kingdom. As the queen had not borne a male heir, Elsa was still next in line to succeed the throne, a fact she knew grieved her father greatly.

Oh, yes, she knew much more than her parents thought she knew about this subject. Despite the fact that her father always put on a brave face for her—"A fine queen you will make someday, Elsa," he would tell her—Elsa _knew. _The palace walls were not as thick as one might presume, and Elsa had enough time on her hands to listen, really _listen. _She had heard fragments of conversations from down the hallway between her parents, conversations she was well aware she was never supposed to hear. Her heart ached as the memory of one such conversation danced in her mind. . . .

* * *

"_. . . Elsa's powers are getting stronger," the king said. "The other day, she—she nearly brought the roof down on our heads with the weight of the ice she created."_

"_She's learning," the queen insisted. "She can control it. I _know _she can."_

"_And what if you're wrong?" snapped the king. "What if she never learns how to control it? What if she is this unpredictable for the rest of her life? How can we—how can _I _leave our subjects under her rule knowing that she could—that she could . . .?"_

"_Don't even talk like that!" the queen shouted. "You know perfectly well that she is doing the best she can. It's not her fault that—"_

"_That what?" snapped the king. "That _she _is next in line for the throne? That the moment we're both dead and buried that Arendelle will belong to her? DO YOU THINK THAT IS WHAT I WANT?!"_

"_We both know damn well that's NOT what you want!" the queen shouted. "You want a son to succeed you, to take her place, to rule for her, to make up for the fact that all you wanted—all you _ever _wanted—from the moment Anna was injured was to keep Elsa as far away from anybody as you could because you were too damn proud to admit that it was _your _seed that gave her to us!"_

"_ENOUGH!" roared the king in despair. The two royals stood apart from each other, both stressed and exhausted and frightened out of their minds for the future of their daughter and of their realm._

_It was the king who spoke first. "Whether or not it is what we want, it is out of our hands now. Elsa _will_ rule Arendelle someday. The least we can do, the least _I _can do, is atone for my mistake and prepare her as best I can."_

_The king opened the door to leave the room, but was halted by his wife's words, barely audible, spoken in such a whisper that only one who was truly listening could have heard them. "Is it true?" she asked, her eyes pleading with her husband, hoping against hope that the answer he gave was not the one she feared. "Would you really have . . . taken care of her before it was too late, if you knew then what you know now?"_

_A pained expression knotted the king's brow, giving him the countenance of a man far older than his earthly years. His lips quivering, he whispered in reply, "I don't know. God forgive me, I don't know. . . ."_

_Down the hall, alone in her room, Elsa's heart broke at her father's words, and she sobbed and sobbed as the snow swirled and danced across her room._

_After that, it was a week before the voices left Elsa alone._

* * *

The memory of that conversation prompted one of the voices to torment her again, whispering in her ear as it had so many times before. _Unloved, unwanted monster! _it taunted. _Your father despises you! He wishes you were dead so that his precious kingdom would not have to be subject to your filth!_

Years of practice, however, had conditioned Elsa to handle the situation calmly and rationally. "Conceal it, don't feel it; conceal it, don't feel it; conceal it, don't feel it,"she whispered to herself over and over again, her hands balled into fists, her bare flesh hidden by the gloves her father had given her to help suppress her magic, until the voice flickered out like a candle extinguished by a strong breeze.

Elsa returned to her studies, her mind clear once again of any distractions. The resentment she had once felt towards her father for hiding her away had long since been replaced with a sense of painful acceptance; likewise, the heartbreak she had felt over her father's confession to her mother was alleviated by the renewed commitment he had made toward improving their relationship. Indeed, her powers had grown exponentially over the years to the point that she would permit only her father to see her, and then only on a limited basis; she was still terrified that her father's life may be in jeopardy because of her. Their conversations, however brief, were important to her. He would coach her, help her to conceal her emotions, to contain the wild storm that brewed inside of her. And she, for her part, was thankful to have someone to talk to, to remind her, if only for a few moments, that she was still human beneath her façade of emotionless calm.

In fact, it was just about time for her father to visit again. He never missed an appointment with her; even when he had to be away on business, he was sure to see her as soon as he returned. His ship should be arriving any moment now; both her parents had gone on a diplomatic visit to one of the nearby kingdoms in the hopes of improving trade relations between the two nations. They had left almost two weeks ago, and they were due home at any time.

A knock at the door disturbed Elsa from her reverie. "Enter," she said, expecting to see her father arrive with the latest news from his journey. She was surprised, therefore, to see not her father, but one of his top advisors. He bowed before her. "Your Highness, I am afraid I must—"

"You're not supposed to be here," she whispered. "Only my father is permitted to see me." Elsa frantically looked around the room and let out a long sigh of relief when she could see no trace of snow or ice. None but her parents were aware of her . . . abilities . . . and she wasn't about to let this sycophant discover her secret. _Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel._

"Forgive me, Your Highness," the advisor—Elsa realized at that moment that she didn't even know his name—said, "but I am afraid I have tragic news."

"News?" Elsa whispered, a knot twisting in her stomach. _Conceal, don't feel. _A buzzing sound was beginning to ring in her ears. Reaching behind her, she squeezed the table she stood in front of, hoping against hope not to lose control. "What news?"

"Your Highness, there is no easy way to say this—"

"Then say it!" Elsa commanded, more forcefully than she had intended. _Please no. Please no. Please no. Don't let it be what I think it is!_

"Very well, Your Highness. Your father's ship was lost at sea in a violent storm. I regret to inform you that your parents are presumed dead."

Elsa swallowed hard, fighting to maintain control as the buzzing sound grew louder and louder and louder. For a brief moment, her face lost its perfect countenance of calm and dignity, revealing instead a scared and despairing teenager. The moment passed, and she was once again the emotionless woman she had trained herself to be. "I see. Please make the necessary preparations for the funeral. And inform my sister—"

"Begging your pardon, Your Highness," the advisor said, "but would you not rather tell Princess Anna yourself—"

"NO!" Elsa shouted, wincing at the harshness of her response. She could see frost beginning to form on the walls over the advisor's shoulder and she knew this conversation could not continue for much longer. _Conceal, don't feel! Conceal! Conceal! Conceal! _ But it was so difficult to concentrate with the constant ringing in her ears. "That is, I leave it to your judgment. Now please leave. Good day."

"Your Highness, I must insist—"

"I said 'Leave!'" Elsa ordered, her last shred of control nearly exhausted. Thankfully, the advisor bowed before her and took his leave, not noticing the frost that had begun to encrust the bedroom walls.

Once the doors were shut, Elsa could contain it no longer. Letting out a scream of anguish and despair, she sank to the floor, sobbing and weeping, taking no notice of the arctic storm brewing around her. So focused was she on her grief that she failed to notice the arrival of the voices until they boomed loudly in her mind.

_So, Mama and Papa are dead! _they taunted. _And it's all because of you, our little snow princess!_

Exhausted from her despair, Elsa lacked the energy to fight the voices, especially when she knew they were right. "Go away," she whispered.

But the voices didn't go away. Sensing her weakness, they continued. _Let's see, what could possibly have caused the great King and Queen of Arendelle to travel so far from home to a lesser country? And here we thought the protocol was that the lesser country's representatives traveled here? Hmmm? Do you know, sweet, sweet snow princess? _

"Me." Elsa's voice was barely audible as she shook with grief, fright, exhaustion.

_That's right! Papa and Mama couldn't have their little snow princess ruin their important meetings, especially when she is so _unpredictable_!_

Hearing her father's own words used against her was enough to rekindle Elsa's anger. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

But the voices didn't shut up. Instead they pressed their advantage. _Murderer! Unnatural! Murderer! Monster! Dangerous! Unpredictable! Monster! Murderer!_

The words spun around and around in Elsa's mind, faster and faster until she could no longer tell what they were saying. She tried to fight back, but she was finding it difficult to maintain control. _Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!_

She had no idea the voices were gone, nor that she had been screaming, until she heard a pounding at the door and the voice of a frightened young woman begging for admittance. "Elsa? Elsa, it's me! What's wrong?" The pounding intensified. "Elsa, please let me in! Elsa? Elsa?! ELSA!"

Princess Elsa of Arendelle, now the solitary, hidden, secret ruler of a kingdom without a king, collapsed against the door, sliding down to the floor, all energy spent, wanting so desperately to let her sister inside and grieve with her, mourn with her, just _be _with her, but terrified of what she might do to her—_again_. "Anna," she whispered as her eyes grew heavy and she fell into her usual troubled sleep, now truly and most assuredly alone.

* * *

**AN: The ideas are flowing on this story. I have several more ideas forthcoming. We will see how quickly I can type them. Please be generous with feedback; I really do appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 3: Coronation

**Voices**

**Chapter Three**

**Coronation**

Three years passed swiftly by for Elsa; three years that, in comparison to the first ten years of her isolation, were over in the blink of an eye. She threw herself entirely into her royal studies, determined to honor her father's memory by becoming the greatest queen in Arendelle's storied history. She memorized treaties, trade agreements, foreign social customs, countless other details required to maintain strong diplomatic relations with Arendelle's allies. She knew Arendelle's legal code backwards and forwards; she was the first royal in five generations to obtain a perfect score on the final legal examination.

With the death of her parents, Elsa had been forced to leave the confines of her bedroom in order to fulfill her new responsibilities as reigning regent. Although by law she was not permitted to make binding decisions on matters of state until she came of age and was crowned queen—a panel of five senior advisors formally reserved the right of final decision—Elsa demonstrated a natural gift for these affairs, rendering the committee's vote a mere formality. Indeed, those within the bureaucracy who might normally have resented being commanded by a young woman were astounded by her wisdom and poise at so young an age, and relished the years of prosperity for Arendelle that were sure to follow the dawning of the age of Queen Elsa.

In reality, however, Elsa was hardly the picture of calm and grace she presented to the world. Since her parents' death, she had become even more fearful, more self-conscious, more anxious. Being released from constant seclusion in her bedroom was hardly the exhilarating experience of freedom Elsa had hoped and prayed it would be. On the contrary, she felt even more constricted than ever before, as she now had to work even harder to conceal the curse from prying eyes. The only way she was able to maintain her composure was by throwing herself completely into her work; it was not uncommon for here to still be awake at the small hours of the morning, studying, analyzing, trying to keep the voices at bay through constant mental stimulation.

The voices, oh the _voices_: her constant companions, always whispering in the background, attempting to sabotage her efforts to maintain her composure, remind her of what she was, goading her into exposing herself to the ever-increasing throng of royal ministers with whom she now had to work. She had given up on ever driving them away at this point; she had begrudgingly accepted that they were as much a part of her as the ice and the snow. She had reached something of an uneasy alliance with them: she permitted them to whisper and flutter throughout her mind at will, not even forming coherent words, provided they didn't attempt to rise up and dominate her again. Sometimes, however, the voices would get greedy and attempt to move to the forefront of her consciousness. When that happened, they were immediately met with the mental walls she had spent the past few years carefully erecting. Howling and moaning, they would recede back to the depths of her mind, where they would dwell until their next attempted assault.

Their assaults could be especially painful, as they had been in the weeks following her parents' funeral. She, of course, had not attended the funeral; she dared not, even though her heart was ripped in two at the thought of not properly saying goodbye. Excuses were made to all the attendees—something about illness, or was it depression, Elsa could never remember—but the memory of Anna's reaction still stung. . . .

* * *

_The door to Elsa's bedroom opened for the first time in years. At least that's how it appeared to Princess Anna. Her heart fluttered in her chest and, for the first time in ten years, she rushed to embrace her older sister._

"_Elsa? It's really you!" she cried, arms around Elsa's back as she went to pull her into the tightest hug she could muster—_

_Except her arms never had the chance to close around her sister. Elsa had pulled back, leaning against her bedroom door, her face tense and drawn, her eyes weary and dull. Anna was thrown off balance and she fell to the floor, hurt and confused._

"_Anna, I'm sorry," Elsa said as her younger sister pulled herself to her feet. "I can't hold you now."_

_The younger girl was shocked, confused, disbelieving. "Elsa, what are you saying? Mother and Father are dead! I'm hurting! _You _have to be hurting too! Please, let me in."_

_She grasped her sister's hand, concealed as always in a long silk glove, holding it gently, tenderly. "Let me be close to you, like we once were. Please. Let me be here for you. Don't shut me out anymore. Whatever it is that's hurting you, please share it with me."_

_Anna stared into her sister's face, pleading silently for Elsa to let go of whatever had driven them apart. _She looks so miserable, _Anna thought. _Why won't she let me help her?

_For a fraction of a second, Elsa allowed herself to accept the warmth of her sister's hand, the loving touch that threatened to tear down her defenses. But the moment passed as quickly as it had arrived. Emotionless Elsa returned, pushing her sister's hand away._

"_I mean it, Anna," she said, desperately trying to remain strong, to not unleash the tears that were building in her eyes. "I can't be near you."_

_Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Then, why are you here? Why did you come out if you didn't want to be near me?"_

_Elsa paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I came to tell you that I won't be attending the funeral."_

She's not serious_, Anna thought. _She can't be. Can she?!

"_What do you mean, Elsa? Of course you're going to the funeral."_

"_No, I'm not. I . . . I just can't." She paused, and to Anna, it looked as if she was having a silent conversation in her mind with someone only she could hear. The moment was gone, and Elsa turned to Anna again._

"_I have to go now," she whispered, opening her bedroom door. "I just wanted to tell you myself, rather than having you find out on your own."_

"_No!" Anna yelled, slamming the door and standing in front of it, cutting off Elsa's escape. "You can't do this, Elsa! You can't keep locking yourself away from everyone! From _me_!"_

_The buzzing was getting louder in her ears once again. _Not now. Not now. Conceal. Conceal. Conceal! _"Anna, I can only say I'm sorry so many times, but—"_

"You're _sorry?" Anna cried, startling Elsa with the force of her words. "_You're _sorry? What about me? I've been sorry every day for the past ten years."_

_Elsa stared at Anna, confused. "What are you—"_

"_I don't KNOW!" Anna cried, tears beginning to run down her face. "You won't talk to me! All I know is that one day you decided you didn't want to be anywhere near me anymore, so you locked yourself away. I tried, and tried, and tried, to see you, so many times, just for a moment, but you wouldn't answer. Ever! And then I would hear you screaming every night, over and over and over, and I would get on my knees and pray to God that whatever was hurting you would go away so we . . . so we could be together again, just like we used to be when we were little."_

Oh, no, _Elsa thought. _She thinks I'm angry at her! What did my parents tell her? _Elsa tried to think of some words of comfort she could speak to her sister, something that could ease the pain without revealing the entire truth, but the buzzing was getting louder and so were the whispers._

"_Anna," she said, faltering. "All I can say is . . . I love you, and I am truly sorry it has to be like this."_

_Anna had fallen to the floor next to the door, angrily wiping the tears from her face. Her response to Elsa was barely audible, but Elsa heard every word as clear as a bell. "You say you love me, and then you act like this." Elsa's chest tightened as she fought every impulse she had to run to her sister, to confess, to explain how it was never Anna's fault, how she was terrified she would hurt her because she was a monster._

_Anna shook her head, stood up, and smoothed out her dress. "Okay, then. I guess I'll see you in another ten years or so. Good day, _Your Highness_." Before Elsa could respond, Anna turned on her heal and walked away._

"_Anna. . . ." Elsa whispered as she watched her sister disappear down the corridor._

_Locking herself back in her bedroom, she retched violently again and again, vainly trying to keep the rage and the buzzing from overwhelming her. _Conceal, conceal, conceal! _she thought, and for a moment she thought she had beaten them, but then a single, mocking thought flashed through her mind: _That went well, don't you think, snow princess?

_The night table beside her bed exploded into thousands of icy splinters as Elsa roared in rage, self-hatred, regret for the pain—the unforgivable pain—she had caused Anna and the destruction of both of their childhoods. Once the initial rush of rage subsided, she collapsed on the bed, totally spent, without any tears left to cry. Once again, as she knew she must always be, she was alone._

* * *

But that moment was long in the past. For today was the day that all of her training, all of her life had prepared her for. Today was the day she would finally be crowned Queen of Arendelle and claim her royal birthright. Today was the day that all of her efforts to control her powers would be put to the test. For although she could rule in solitude, for one day her subjects expected her to hold a public coronation and reception so that they could pay tribute to their beloved queen.

She was dressed in the traditional formal uniform of Arendelle's female rulers. A dark black dress, tight, with a high color; long, teal gloves—of course she still had her gloves—and flowing magenta cape. Her platinum hair was immaculately braided in a tight bun behind her head. Her face was the picture of elegance and refinement. She was, in short, everything Arendelle's citizens expected her to be.

_Except for the snow and ice, _the voices whispered. _Conceal! _she commanded, piling high her mental barriers. With a quiet wail, the voices receded into her subconscious. _I will let _nothing _ruin this day for my people,_ she vowed. _Nothing!_

Finally prepared, finally ready, Princess Elsa stepped forth from her bedroom and summoned the captain of the guard. Giving the command she had dreaded her entire adult life, she ordered: "Open the palace gates. Let the people in."

* * *

The coronation ceremony proceeded without incident. Gathered in the palace chapel, the traditional location for the ceremony, heads of state from allied nations, trade ministers seeking to do business with the new queen, and heads of Arendelle's own government offices watched as Princess Elsa took the solemn vows to uphold her office, to protect her people, to sacrifice everything for the wellbeing of Arendelle.

Throughout the ceremony, Anna stood beside her sister, fulfilling the traditional duty of aide-de-camp to the new monarch. If she was angry, Elsa noticed, Anna wasn't showing it. In fact, Anna appeared to be genuinely happy with for her older sister, although Elsa did notice during some of the boring sections of the bishop's speech—and if _she _found them boring, imagine how the audience must have felt—that Anna kept glancing toward somewhere, or _someone _in the crowd, a girlish grin on her face. _I'll have to talk to that girl about that later, _she thought.

Now, the final ritual of the ceremony had arrived. Elsa was to hold the orb and scepter and face the representatives of her people as the bishop gave the final pronouncement that the new queen had been crowned. The acolyte brought forth the royal ornaments on their traditional pillow and Elsa reached for them, ready for the ceremony to be over.

_Ahem. _The bishop coughed, overtly loudly, to get her attention. "Your Majesty," he whispered. "The gloves."

_Oh, no, _Elsa thought. She had practiced and practiced holding the orb and scepter without the gloves but had never been able to keep them from frosting after a few seconds. She had hoped against hope she could get away with wearing the gloves, but it was clear the bishop would not allow it. "Must I?" she whispered, hoping she could change his mind.

"Yes, Majesty," he whispered. "Your skin must touch them in order to show that you submit yourself to the traditions and expectations they represent."

_Okay. I can do this. I can do this. Conceal! Conceal! Conceal!_

Having carefully removed the gloves, Elsa gingerly lifted the orb and scepter, turned around and faced the audience. She stood perfectly still as the bishop proclaimed the final lines in the ancient language of their fathers. _Conceal! Conceal! Conceal!_ She was almost finished.

_Isn't this a nice audience, snow queen? _whispered a voice. _All for you! Too bad they don't know what you really are!_

Her mental walls flared up, sending the voice screaming back to the void. She glanced down and noticed that, to her horror, the orb and scepter were starting to become encrusted in ice, more and more with each passing second. _Come on! Finish! _she screamed in her head at the bishop. _Conceal, don't feel! Conceal!_

The bishop _finally _finished the proclamation, and the audience stood up and erupted in cheers. No one noticed anything unusual, except perhaps for the speed with which the new queen laid down the ornaments and put on her gloves.

As she saw the audience cheering, applauding for her, a smile—a _real _smile—crossed her face for the first time in years. She turned to Anna, and together they processed down the aisle to the rear of the chapel, where they would exchange pleasantries with the dignitaries before proceeding to the reception hall.

"You did great," Anna whispered to Elsa as they stood in the receiving line.

"So did you," Elsa whispered back, and for the briefest of moments, it was as if the past thirteen years had never happened, that they were as close as they had ever been.

"Before I forget," Elsa whispered to Anna in between handshakes, "remind me to talk to you at the reception." She took a deep breath, calming herself. _You've waited for thirteen years to have this conversation. You can wait a little bit longer. _"There's something about me I need to tell you."

* * *

**AN: So, it looks as if Elsa _finally _has had her moment of triumph. Unfortunately, we know that all good things must come to an end. Please keep comments and reviews coming.**


	4. Chapter 4: Exposure

**Voices **

**Chapter Four**

**Exposure**

Elsa had never seen her sister more excited than at the reception that evening. Anna was a bundle of energy, moving from table to table, introducing herself to guests right and left, sampling food from every single item on the menu and, most importantly, _laughing_—really laughing. For her part, Elsa was ever the picture of poise and grace, graciously socializing with them as if she had done this every day of her life, impressing them by remembering every single person's name and country of origin, promising to open negotiations between Arendelle and other nations in the pursuit of mutually-beneficial alliances.

The voices had been oddly silent ever since the ceremony and Elsa was too busy to contemplate what that might mean. All she knew was that she finally was letting herself experience what she had been missing for all these years, and she was actually enjoying it; all the pressure of concealing and hiding seemed a distant memory.

She even had laughed—she had forgotten she even could laugh—when, turning down the opportunity to dance with a rather disturbing-looking trade minister, she had volunteered Anna. The look on her sister's face as she was thrust about the ballroom floor in movements that could be called "dancing" only in the loosest possible sense of the term brought tears of laughter to Elsa's usually sorrowful eyes.

The "dance" concluded, Anna stumbled towards her older sister, a look on her face that screamed _I'm going to get you for this!_ The two royals, queen and princess, stood in awkward silence for a moment, unsure of how to even talk to each other, it had been so long.

Elsa was the one to break the silence. "Hi."

Anna looked at her, somewhat startled. "Um, hi, Elsa. I mean, 'Hi, Your Majesty!' I mean, um—"

Elsa laughed. _Wait, Elsa's laughing? _thought Anna. _She still does that?_

"Anna, it's okay. It's just me, your sister."

"Right. Sorry. It's just that . . . we haven't exactly done this in a long time and . . . I'm not quite sure how to do it."

"I know," Elsa said. Another moment of awkward silence fell between the two of them. _One of us has to say _something, Elsa thought. She looked at Anna—really _looked _at her—for the first time in years and marveled at how much she had grown. "You look beautiful."

"Who? Me?" Anna replied. "Oh, well, you look beautifuller. I mean, you don't look 'fuller,' you look, um, more beautiful, and, um, oh boy—"

"Relax, Anna. It's okay."

Another moment of awkward silence. This time it was Anna who broke the ice.

"So, um, it's nice to finally talk again, don't you think?

"Yes," Elsa said. "Yes, it is." She paused, gathering a breath. "Listen, Anna, I am so sorry about how I have acted for the last thirteen years."

"What? Oh, no, Elsa, don't apologize. It's okay."

"No, it's not. I want you to know that it wasn't . . . it wasn't . . ." _You can do this, Elsa. Concentrate! _"It wasn't your fault."

"What?" Anna asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I just wanted you to know that . . . it wasn't your fault that I hid myself away. And . . . And I . . ."

"Yes, Elsa?" Anna leaned in toward her sister, careful not to make physical contact with her despite her strong desire to reach out and hold her, not wanting to upset her on the verge of a delicate moment between the two of them.

Before Elsa could finish her sentence, they were interrupted by one of the servants. "My apologies, Your Majesty, but more guests have arrived, and you are needed at the entrance."

"Oh, yes . . . of course. I'll be right there."

The servant bowed before her and took his leave. The two royals stood once again in awkward silence.

"So, um, I guess I'll see you later tonight?" Anna asked.

"Yes, I guess you will," Elsa said.

"Okay, then. See you later!" Anna turned and ran off, returning to the exuberance of the party, leaving Elsa alone with her thoughts once again. Sighing, the queen turned and moved to the ballroom entrance, her enjoyment of the reception evaporating like overheated snow vanishing into vapor, silently pleading with time to move faster and bring this evening to its conclusion.

* * *

Not long after, Elsa found herself embroiled in a heated discussion with one of her ministers of state.

"No, you are mistaken, Minister," Elsa protested. "I'm only seeing people publicly for today. Effective tomorrow, any information that needs to be presented to me can be done in my chambers, quietly and discretely."

"Your Majesty, forgive me, but you must be joking. You realize that all matters of state must be conducted in the throne room in the presence of your royal court."

Elsa swallowed nervously, hoping against hope that she didn't look as worried as she felt. "I understand that is the tradition, Minister. However, nowhere in Arendelle's laws does it specifically state that business must be conducted in this manner. I would prefer to conduct any royal business privately."

"Your Majesty, if I may be so bold," the minister protested. "I understand that you have led a somewhat . . . sheltered existence to this time. I never questioned why your father chose to raise you that way, but surely he _must _have told you that the queen cannot hide herself away from her subjects. The people will begin to wonder what is wrong with you that—"

"What's wrong with me? What's _wrong _with me? What exactly are you implying, Minister?" Elsa asked, balling her hands into fists, her voice growing louder and angrier than she had intended.

"N-n-nothing, Your Majesty. I was simply expressing the fact that—"

Elsa didn't hear the rest of his stammering as the whispers suddenly began to swirl in her mind. _We told you! We told you! You can't hide, you can't hide, you can't hide, snow queen! They'll find out! They'll find out your secret! You can't control it forever! How long do you think you can keep up this charade? They'll find out you're unnatural! Unholy! Monster!_

"Shut up!" Elsa blurted out loud, silencing the voices and the stammering minister. Regaining her composure, she turned to the minister. "I will keep my appointments in my chambers. Privately. Is that clear?"

The minister paused, clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. "Yes, Your Majesty. As you wish."

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me." Elsa turned and walked away, trying to find an unobtrusive corner where she could calm herself down..

_Well done, snow queen! It's your first day and you've already broken one of the kingdom's major traditions and offended one of your top ministers! Can this day get any better?_

"I hate you," Elsa whispered, unsure if she was speaking to the voice or to herself. She barely had time to recover from the latest onslaught on her mind—she rubbed her temples to try to soothe the forming headache—when she saw an elated Anna rushing toward her, dragging a well-dressed young man along behind her. _Now what? _Elsa thought.

Giggling, Anna stepped forward. "Elsa! I mean, excuse me, Your Majesty. May I present Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

"Your Majesty," the prince bowed low before her. "It is truly an honor to meet you."

Elsa forced a smile onto her face, her headache getting progressively worse by the moment. _Just get through this! It's almost over! _she told herself. "Likewise, Prince Hans."

Anna and Hans looked at each other, giddy smiles on their faces. Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Is there something I should know?"

"Well, Your Majesty," Hans said. "I—we—humbly ask for your permission, er, your blessing to . . ." Anna giggled, "to . . ."

Simultaneously, they said "To get married!"

Elsa was speechless. "I . . . I . . . what, exactly?"

Anna suddenly launched into a rambling, excited monologue about how the two of them were meant for each other, and that they had set a date already, and they needed to begin working on the guest list, and hiring a caterer, and could they have the wedding in Arendelle next month because Arendelle was lovely that time of year, and—

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down. _Slow down!_" Elsa said to Anna, finally getting her younger sister to calm down long enough to listen to her. "Can I please speak with you, privately?"

"No, Elsa," said Anna. "Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Hans as well."

"Fine," Elsa said. "You can't marry a man you just met. I'm sorry, but I cannot give you my blessing."

Turning on her heal, Elsa began to walk away. Anna was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and followed after her sister.

"Elsa! Elsa! Your Majesty! Don't walk away from me!"

Elsa's head was throbbing. The pressure of concealing herself, silencing the voices, making sure everything was perfect, dealing with ministers who wanted her to begin holding public meetings during executive sessions, was finally beginning to catch up with her. "Not now, Anna. I'll talk to you when everyone is gone."

Anna had run fast enough to get in front of Elsa and cut her off. "No, Elsa. We're going to talk about this now."

Elsa really didn't want to do this now. "Look, Anna, I understand how you feel. You're excited, you're seeing new people for the first time, you're overly emotional—"

"I am _not _overly emotional!" retorted Anna. "Hans and I are meant for each other. It's _true love!_"

"Anna, what could you possibly know about true love?" She hadn't meant for it to sound as harsh as it had, but she had said it, and nothing could take it back. She turned away, moving toward the exit.

"More than you!" Anna yelled back, stopping Elsa in her tracks. "At least I don't shut people out!"

"Go away, Anna," Elsa said quietly, silently praying for this night to be over immediately.

Anna cut her off again. "No, Elsa! I can't live like this anymore! I've been living alone for most of my life and so have you and I can't take it anymore! I can't be kept locked in this palace all the time!"

"Then leave." Elsa covered her mouth as soon as the words left her lips. _That was so . . . cold! What is wrong with me?_

Anna shook her head. "You don't mean that! You can't mean that!"

The buzzing sound was back, and with it came the whispers. Elsa was running out of energy to suppress them, and she knew it. "Guard!" she commanded. "Send everybody home and close the gates. The party is over."

Anna was nearly hysterical. "Elsa, please! Don't shut me out! Not again! Please, let me help you!"

"No, Anna." Elsa tried to escape, but Anna had grabbed hold of her hands.

"You say it wasn't my fault, but you keep acting like it is. I don't know what I ever did to you, but I can't take it anymore! Any of it!"

Elsa pulled her arms out of her sister's grasp. One of her gloves—her _gloves!_—remained in Anna's hands.

"Give me my glove, Anna," she said, composure beginning to slip away, her head starting to spin. _Conceal! Conceal!_

"Not until you tell me why, Elsa," Anna cried. "Please, just _talk to me!_"

_Ungrateful little wretch! How dare she question you, snow queen? She has no idea how much you've sacrificed for her! Make an example of her! Cut off a limb! Throw her in the dungeon! That's what you want, isn't it? For her to go away and never bother you again!_

She was losing control. This couldn't be happening. _No. Not now. Not now. Please! Please! Conceal, don't feel! Conceal, don't feel Conceal don't feel concealdon'tfeeelconcealdon'tfeelconcealconcealconcealconceal—_

_ That trick isn't going to work on us now, dearie, _came the voices, harsh, cruel, gleeful. _Did you really think you could rule a kingdom in secret? That you could just put yourself in a little room, never seeing anyone, and that no one would find out? That your sister would just let you be? Did you? Did you? Did you? Did youdidyoudidyoudidyou—_

_ NOT NOW! _Elsa roared in her mind, throwing up all the walls she could to suppress the voices, but still they raged on, louder and louder.

Anna was still crying, but Elsa didn't hear. She turned away and tried to get to the exit.

But people were still trying to greet her.

And Anna was still yelling at her, trying to get her to answer, to explain herself, to justify her solitary existence, why, why, why, _why?_

And the room was getting smaller by the moment—this ballroom used to be much bigger, didn't it?!—and people were too close to her and no matter how quickly she walked the door seemed to be farther and farther away and people were still trying to greet her and Anna was still beggingandwhywasitsoloudandthevoicescackledandhowled—_Snowqueensnowqueenwhowantsasnowqueenlockedupinherroomnevertobeseen_—andAnnawasstillwaitingforanansweranditwasimpossibletoconcentrateoverthebuzzingandthenoiseandthepeopleanditwastoomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuchtoo—

"ENOUGH!" Elsa cried, sweeping her arm across her body, trying to push the whole world, Anna, the guests, everybody away from her so she could be what she was used to being—alone, so alone, the way it should be, it was better this way—except it was the _wrong arm_—_Oh my God! No! No! NO!_—the one whose glove Anna clutched in her startled grasp and was freely exposed to the world, the arm that, now free and unfettered had responded by doing what Elsa had always wanted to do but had always tried to suppress.

With a force that drove anyone near back several feet, a six-foot wall of jagged ice crystals had appeared in front of Elsa, shielding her, protecting her, _exposing her. _Horrified silence fell over the ballroom as guests stared at her first in astonishment, then in fear, then in revulsion, their shocked expressions boring into Elsa's soul.

_They know, dearie! They know! THEY KNOW!_

* * *

**AN: More to come.**


	5. Chapter 5: Escape

**Voices **

**Chapter Five**

**Escape**

The entire ballroom had fallen deathly silent. Elsa felt the sting of hundreds of eyes staring directly at her, horrified, terrified, astounded, judging.

"Elsa?" whispered Anna, so softly, her face expressing a thousand different emotions, each of which squeezed and squeezed at Elsa's heart: confusion, shock, anger, pity, worry, _betrayal. _"Elsa? . . . How did you—"

_They know, snow queen! They know! They've seen! Everyone knows your secret! See how your subjects adore you now!_

Murmurs began to grow and grow among the guests, growing louder and louder: "Sorcery! Witch! Demon! _Monster!_"

There was nothing Elsa could say to explain away the situation. Everyone had seen the same thing. In that moment, Elsa realized, despite her terror, that she was now a hunted woman, a freak, an aberration.

Several of the men in the crowd managed to climb over the ice. They advanced on her, backing her closer and closer towards the doorway, like an animal, as the crowd cried "Stop her! Stop her! Don't let her get away!"

_They're coming for you, dearie! They're coming for you! They're going to capture you and then they will kill you! Oh, what fun this will be!_

Elsa breathed heavily, panic rising in her chest. "No! Stay back! Please! Just leave me ALONE!"

_Are you going to let them kill you, dearie? What will you do? What if we just made them into some nice ice statues? Wouldn't they look lovely in your throne room? Hee hee hee hee—_

Before she realized what was happening, Elsa brought her arms in front of herself and sent an arctic blast of pure ice toward one of the men, barely missing his legs and coating the floor before him. Screaming in horror at her actions, Elsa wrapped her arms around herself, opened the door, and fled the ballroom, her pursuers slipping on the ice and falling to the floor.

The rational part of Elsa's mind was no longer in charge. Operating on pure instinct, she ran, and ran, and ran, until she was at the palace gates. Ignoring the guards, she rushed through the checkpoint and into the palace square

As she ran, faster and faster—had they found her yet?—the voices chanted louder and louder and louder, goading her, mocking her.

_Looks like your kingdom won't get to have their snow queen after all! Too bad! Just think of all the fun they'll be missing!_

Elsa's vision blurred for a moment, and when her vision cleared, things were very, very different.

* * *

_Elsa found herself no longer in the square, but in the palace throne room. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion; she could see figures, but couldn't make them out. Gingerly, she stepped forward, doing her best to conceal herself lest she be spotted and arrested._

_ "Your Majesty!" came a voice from the entryway. Instinctively, Elsa responded, "Yes?" but no one paid her any mind._ What is this?_ she wondered._

_"Yes?" A voice responded, cold, unfeeling. Elsa stiffened; the voice was alien, yet something about the voice seemed familiar at the same time._

_A man was escorted by two armed guards down the aisle toward the throne. The guards flung him to the floor in a heap. "Kneel before the Queen, peasant," spat one of them, kicking the man to his knees._

_ "Stop it!" cried Elsa, but the guard ignored her, kicking and kicking until—_

_ "Enough!" came the voice again, commanding, ice cold. "Bring him to me."_

Why is it so cold in here?_ thought Elsa._ And why is it so dark?_ Indeed, the majestic throne room was lit only by a few assorted candles, as if the queen, whoever she was, wanted to keep all light to a minimum._

_The guards dragged the man directly before the queen's throne, then stepped back. The man cowered in pain and terror._

_ "What is his crime?" the queen asked, still devoid of emotion._

_ "Your Majesty, this thief dared to steal food from your personal supplier." The guard tossed a sack before the queen._

_ "Open it," she ordered._

_ The guard untied the string around the sack and emptied it. Several loaves of bread fell to the floor as the man shook in fright._

_ "Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?" asked the queen._

_ Elsa saw the man rise to his knees, begging._

_ "Your Majesty, please. My family. They're starving. My wife. My children. I just needed a few loaves of bread. I'll pay you back for them, I swear."_

_ "With what money?" spat the queen. "Obviously, you don't have much in the way of income."_

_ "It's only until the winter ends, Your Majesty. Once spring arrives, I can go back to my work and repay you double what they would have cost. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy."_

_ Elsa squinted, but in the darkness of the throne room she could not see the queen's face. _What does this mean?_ she wondered._

_ The queen paused, as if considering the man's offer._

_ "Please, Your Majesty, have mercy."_

_ A deep, dark laugh erupted from the queen's throat. "Mercy?_ _MERCY? You dare steal from me and expect me to have _mercy_?" _

_"No, Your Worship, I expect nothing!" the man cried, prostrating himself before the queen._

_ "And nothing is what you will receive!" the queen spat. "I have no time to waste on those who would dare to ask mercy from someone from whom no mercy is to be offered! Prepare him for sentencing!"_

_ "No, Your Majesty, I beg of you—"_

_ "Hold!" the queen ordered the guards. "Ignore the formalities! I cannot stand to listen to someone cry and wail who clearly has not been listening to a word I have said!"_

_ The queen extended her arms before her—_What is she doing?_ thought Elsa—and in a flash, a stream of blue ice rushed towards the man. Horrified, Elsa watched helplessly as the man, screaming and screaming, was completely coated in ice until he looked like an ice sculpture._

_ Elsa retched and vomited in revulsion, but still no one noticed her._

_ The queen lowered her arms and returned to her solitary throne. "Take him away. Store him with the others."_

_"Yes, Queen Elsa," said the guards, lifting the ice statue that had formerly been a man and carrying him from the throne room._

No, it can't be! It can't!_ thought Elsa, panicking._ IT CAN'T BE!

_The queen finally turned to Elsa, acknowledging her existence, and moved closer. "Hello, Elsa," the queen said, and Elsa could clearly see that the queen's face was_ her own_!_

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

* * *

And suddenly, Elsa was back in the palace square, the vision over, the voices roaring triumphantly in her mind. _Wasn't that a nice little present, snow queen? See what would happen if you ruled the kingdom? What a monster you turned out to be!_

Screaming, Elsa plunged ahead, running into the square, not sure anymore where she was trying to go. All around her, her subjects, still celebrating her coronation, were suddenly overjoyed that their new queen had paid them a visit on her coronation day. "Look, it's Queen Elsa!" came a voice, and a throng of people descended upon her, eager to see her up close.

Elsa tried to protest, to fight against this rush of people upon her, but there were too many of them. "Please, stay away! Please! _Please!_"

And yet they still crowded her, forcing her back, unaware of the torment raging in her mind and soul. _Look at them! They adore you, snow queen! Imagine how disappointed they will be when they hear the news!_

Elsa was pushed back further and further, uncertain of how much longer she could contain her magic. The crowd continued to push her until she was in the center of the square at the royal fountain. "Please, just STOP!" she cried, grabbing onto the edge of the fountain behind her for support.

The crowd's cries of jubilation turned to astonished silence. _Oh, no, _Elsa thought. _What now?_

Finally, someone gave voice to what they were witnessing. "The fountain!" they cried, and Elsa looked back and realized that she had frozen the fountain, and that the ice was cascading from the fountain down to the floor of the square.

_Quite a show, snow queen! _came the voices. _What will be your next trick?_

"GO AWAY!" Elsa screamed, and the townspeople shrank back in horror as she covered her head with her hands and tried to will the voices back into the darkness, but they had been repressed for far too long and would not go away no they wouldn't they wouldn't they wouldn't they swirled about her mind they wouldn't go away—

"GET BACK!" came a voice from the entrance of the square. Elsa turned and saw the royal guards—_her _royal guards—approaching her slowly, carefully. The captain approached her, weapon draw. "Your Majesty," he said, "you need to come with us. Now."

_They'll kill you! Don't trust them! Kill them first! Do it now! It will be easy! Fun, even! Freeze his arm! No, his head! Oh, just freeze his whole body and be done with it! Do it! Do it! Do it!_

Ignoring the constant screaming of the voices, Elsa weakly replied, "Just leave me alone. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the captain replied, "but you still must come with us. I insist." He thrust his sword forward slightly to make his point abundantly clear.

"No!" came a voice from behind the guards. Elsa looked and saw Anna being restrained by two guards, trying to push herself to Elsa. "Don't hurt her! Leave her alone!"

"Your Highness, please," cried the captain. "The queen is not well. She needs to be . . . helped."

"It's not her fault! I pushed her! It was an accident! Just let her go!"

"Your Highness, please be quiet," said the captain.

"Elsa!" Anna shouted, breaking away from the guards and trying to press forward. "Elsa!"

"Stop her!" the captain ordered. One of the guards grabbed Anna and threw her forcefully to the ground, hard enough to momentarily stun her.

"No! Anna!" cried Elsa as her emotions and the voices—_whatwillyoudowhatwillyoudowhatwillyoudowhatwillyoudo_—pounded in her mind—she could hardly tell what was real anymore—until something inside of her erupted and she flung out her arms and roared with despair, anguish, shame, fear.

The fountain behind Elsa buckled and bent, twisting upon itself until it could no longer contain its frozen contents. The ice shot straight up into the air, higher and higher and higher, until at last it exploded, raining down snowflakes and ice crystals upon the palace square.

Terrified, the villagers panicked, rushing toward their homes, knocking over the palace guards in the process. With a final, sorrowful glance toward Anna, Elsa ran, rushing toward the fjord. Not stopping to think about the damage she had inflicted on her subjects, not thinking about the fact that she now could never return home, she ran and ran and ran until she reached the water's edge.

Out of options, Elsa took a tentative step toward the water. To her relief, the water beneath her feet froze instantly. Hearing the guards behind her—"Stop her! Don't let her get away!"—Elsa raced across the fjord, ice forming as she touched the cusp of the water. Not stopping, not thinking about anything but escape, she made it across the fjord and began the long trek into the mountains. Far behind her, she thought she heard her sister's voice cry out, "ELSA! ELSA!" but it may have only been the sound of the swirling wind that followed her solitary ascent up the mountains, away from the only life she had ever known.

* * *

**AN: Please continue to provide feedback; it is very helpful. I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story so far.**


	6. Chapter 6: Exile

**Voices **

**Chapter Six**

**Exile**

Elsa had almost forgotten what it felt like to not be running for her life. It had been several hours since her escape from the palace; surely by now any pursuers would have long since given up their chase. But Elsa ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, desperately trying to keep her mind off of anything but the task of getting as far from Arendelle as possible. So far, she had succeeded, but the familiar, dreaded buzzing had returned, and the whispers were growing louder.

_Coward! _spat the voices; Elsa continued to run. _You should have killed them back at the palace! _Elsa kept running. _How _dare _they try to keep you from your throne! Why are you running away? Turn around, go back to the palace, and _force _them to accept you! You are the queen! MAKE THEM LOVE YOU!_

_ No! No! No! _Elsa screamed back in her mind, her feet flying over the powdery mountainside. _I'm not a murderer! I don't want to hurt anyone! I don't! I don't!_

_ LIAR! _The voices had found a weakness and they were eager to exploit it to the fullest. _We felt your anger, your rage back in the square! You almost froze a man to death!_

"It was an accident!" Elsa cried, her legs finally threatening to give out. _No! _she ordered herself. _Keep going! Keep going!_

_You enjoyed it! Don't deny it! _the voices raged. _We _know _you, snow queen, better than you know yourself. You want to pretend that you're this perfect, perfect woman when deep down, you know you desire vengeance and bloodshed for what they've done to you!_

"No! No! No! No! No!" Elsa's legs were barely moving now—they were so _heavy_—but she couldn't stop, she _wouldn't _stop. She had to get away, keep moving, keep—

Her exhausted legs could no longer support her weight. Crying out, Elsa collapsed, rolling down a small embankment and coming to a stop in a small glade. No longer caring what happened to her, too tired to move, too heartsick to keep running, Elsa lay prostrate in the snow, sobbing.

_You're pathetic! _the voices spat. _We thought you were stronger than this! What would your father say if he saw you like this? You dishonor him! You will never be anything like him! He was brave! You're a coward! He was wise! You are foolish! He was strong! You are weak, weak, weak, weak—_

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Elsa cried, covering her ears and smashing her forehead into the ground over and over again, desperately trying to drown out the accusations, the endless listing of her failures that despite her denials she _knew _were true, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would hit her head on rock and knock herself unconscious, or kill herself, for that matter, she didn't care anymore, she just wanted quiet, all she wanted was to hear _nothing _for once, what was that like, she didn't know anymore, why was the universe so determined to keep her from having just one moment of peace, but her body was spent, her strength exhausted, and she was so tired, so tired, that her eyes closed before she knew what was happening and then—

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility. Silence.

* * *

_"Do you really have to go?"_

_ It was a statement more than a question. She already knew the answer, of course. But she wanted to hear it from him, just to make sure he knew that she disapproved._

_ The king turned and faced his oldest daughter. "You know that I do, Elsa," he said. "This trade agreement is vital to the long-term survival of our economy. Our people need this."_

_ "But why do you have to go? Isn't there someone else you could send in your place?" She turned away, gloved hands clutching each other, tense, unsure._

_ "You know it would be a show of bad faith if I wasn't there," he said. "The agreement is in a precarious position now. How could they trust us if I wasn't willing to personally demonstrate my commitment? The deal would collapse and both of our kingdoms would suffer."_

_ He could tell that his daughter was still not convinced. She seemed especially perturbed over this diplomatic assignment for some reason. "I'll only be gone for two weeks, Elsa," he said. "You and your sister will be just fine."_

_ He reached in to hold her, but before he could grasp his daughter, Elsa pulled away. "No, Father," she said. "Don't touch me."_

_ Incredulous, the king stepped toward her. "Elsa, what is—"_

_ "Please, don't," she whispered. "It's the curse. It's growing stronger. I don't trust myself to be around anyone. Especially not you."_

_ "Elsa," the king said, "it's okay. You don't have to be afraid—"_

_ "Yes, I do!" the princess cried. "I have to be afraid because I might hurt you, or Anna, or Mother, or anyone else that comes near me. You don't understand, Father. You don't know how it feels to not be able to touch, to see, to be close to the ones you love because you might kill them!"_

_ Tears fell down Elsa's face. "How can I possibly rule a kingdom someday if I can't even be near anybody? What kind of queen could I be for our people?"_

_ The king had not seen Elsa this disturbed in a long, long time. Before he could respond, Elsa whispered, "That's why you wanted a son, isn't it? So you wouldn't have to worry about Arendelle being ruled by a . . . a monster like me."_

How could she possibly know that? _the king thought, anguish and guilt coursing through his soul as he remembered that he had thought these very thoughts many, many times before._

_ A sad smile twitched at the corner of Elsa's mouth. "I heard you and Mother arguing, years ago. You said . . . you said you didn't know if you would have allowed me to live, had you known what I was when I was born."_

_ The king was at a loss to find some way to defend the indefensible, to explain himself to his daughter. "Elsa, I—"_

_ "It's all right, Father. I don't blame you. I understand now that you were only worried for the future of Arendelle. And that sometimes the king must make sacrifices for the good of his subjects."_

_ Elsa wiped away her tears with her gloved hand. "I just wish," she whispered, "I wish you weren't ashamed of me. I didn't ask to be born with this curse. I just wish there was some way that I could make you proud of me."_

_ The king felt his heart breaking in two. _My God, how much damage have I done to her? _he thought. _There must be something I can do to show her that I'm not ashamed.

_An idea struck him. "Elsa, I have something for you."_

_ The king removed the ring he always wore on his left pinky and held it in his hand. "Take off your gloves, Elsa."_

_ She shook her head. "Father, I don't think—"_

_ "Elsa, it's okay," he said. He watched as his daughter cautiously removed the glove from her left hand. He then took the ring and gingerly slid it onto his daughter's ring finger._

_ Elsa glanced down at the ring, her eyes lighting up as she recognized it. "The Eden-stone?" she whispered._

_ "Yes, Elsa," said the king. "The ancient ring of our people."_

_ Elsa held her hand up, trembling as she looked the ancient stone, carved centuries before from the most beautiful jewel in Arendelle. As she raised her hand, sunlight streamed across the ring. The cut stone projected the sunlight into a mass of colored beams streaming across the room._

_ The king smiled. "According to legend, the Eden-stone will only glow for one worthy to rule our kingdom. It looks as though the legend is true."_

_ Elsa stared, transfixed, at the stone. _Could it be? Am I really worthy of the throne? A monster like me?

_The king took Elsa's bare hand in his own, clutching it tight even as she tried to pull away. "I know you will make a fine queen, Elsa," he said. "Now all you have to do is believe it too."_

_ He pulled his trembling daughter close to him and embraced her with all of his strength, squeezing her, wanting to take all the pain away, silently apologizing over and over again for all he had put her through._

_ Finally, he knew the time had come for his departure. "Goodbye, Elsa," he said, kissing her cheek. "I will see you in two weeks."_

_ He turned and left her bedroom, leaving Elsa alone with her thoughts. _Is it possible? Could I really be a worthy queen?

* * *

Elsa awoke from her slumber, startled, disoriented, confused. For a moment she thought she was back in her bedroom. _But, why am I on the floor? _she wondered. Then the events of the previous day screamed back into her mind—her coronation, the reception, her loss of control, panic, terror, escape, running, running, running!—and she wept and wept and wept.

"Father!" she cried, turning around in a circle, yelling loudly enough that all the world could hear her sorrow. "Father, I failed you! I failed you, and Mother, and our people! You were wrong about me. I wasn't strong enough! I couldn't keep it in!"

_Why, snow queen? Why couldn't you keep it in?_

"Because I was weak!" she roared. "Because I couldn't conceal it! Because I'm not capable of hiding how I feel! I tried, and I tried, and I tried not to feel! But it didn't work, because here I am now!"

_Good, snow queen. Good! Give in! Let it out! Let it all out!_

Elsa was wholly consumed by her rage. Thirteen years of seclusion, loneliness, fear, confusion, bottled up and suppressed for so long was finally coming to the surface. "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?" she screamed. "Why did you give me the false hope that I could be the queen you always wanted me to be? Why didn't you intervene? Did you want me to fail? Was _that _your plan all along? Was I just some sick joke that you were trying to play on the world?"

_Keep going! _goaded the voices. And for once, Elsa didn't try to stop them from raging inside her mind.

"Well, here I am, Father! What am I supposed to do now? Where is your advice when I need it? Why aren't you here with me now? It wasn't supposed to be like this! I wasn't supposed to be queen for decades! Why? Why did you leave? What did I do to drive you away? WHY?!"

Elsa fell to her knees, sobbing, exhausted. As much as she wanted to just lie down and wait for the cold to take her, her instinct for survival prevented her from following that course of action. Breathing heavily, she willed herself to calm down, to regain control, to become the calm Elsa she always was before . . . before . . .

Rising, she turned to face the winding path before her, leading up further and further into the mountains. _That one, _she thought, looking to the mountain due north, directly in front of her. _Something about that one seems . . . right. _Gathering her strength, she continued her solitary journey up the mountain into the unknown.

* * *

**AN: Please keep feedback coming.**


	7. Chapter 7: Freedom

**Voices**

** Chapter Seven**

**Freedom**

The air was chillingly silent, as if the North Mountain itself was analyzing her, scrutinizing her, trying to determine why she had dared trespass onto its slopes.

Elsa pressed onward, never faltering, continuing up the long path. She couldn't explain why climbing this mountain was the right thing to do, except to for the completely irrational explanation that it simply_ felt_ like the right thing to do.

The exhaustion that had crippled her earlier now was now a thing of the past. Elsa knew she should be tired, should have absolutely no energy left to continue, and yet she felt perfectly fine, as if something was giving her the strength to press onward. And so she climbed, and climbed, and climbed the long, winding path, until, at last, she found herself near the summit.

The voices, so quiet for the past few hours, suddenly sprang into action. _Congratulations, dearie. You've climbed the North Mountain. Truly a remarkable feat of physical endurance. Take a moment to enjoy it. Okay, that's enough. Back to the palace with you. We have a kingdom to rule!_

_I'm not going back, _Elsa thought.

_Maybe you didn't hear us, _the voices snapped. _It is time for you to stop running and be the snow queen that you are and rule the kingdom! Start moving! NOW!_

Something was stirring within Elsa that she had never felt before. An odd sense of calm and peace descended upon her. _I can't go back! I'm too dangerous! But . . . who says I need to go back at all?_

_We do! _came the familiar snarling. _You are wasting precious time, snow queen. Move your feet!_

_No! _Elsa thought, her eyes, so dulled and full of pain from her years of suffering, brightening suddenly, realization dawning upon her. _I'm away from anyone I could possibly hurt now! Arendelle is safe from me! Anna is safe from me! I don't have to be afraid anymore!_

_What was that, dearie? You honestly think the people you love are safe from you now? You're a monster! You'll never be able to keep anybody safe!_

_You're wrong! _Elsa shot back, her confidence growing by the moment. _Anna can be happy now. She can open the palace, let the people in, live the life she's always wanted without me holding her back._

Now, the voices were incensed, livid. _If you think that those cretins whom you love so much are safe now just because you climbed all the way up a mountain, you are out of your mind! You. Are. Unnatural! The laws of nature don't apply to you! You'll find a way to hurt them; you _always _find a way!_

_No, I won't! _Elsa replied, forcing the voices closer to the void of her mind. _I don't have to live in fear anymore! You can't scare me!_

_That _had done it. _IDIOT! UNGRATEFUL SAVAGE! STUPID, STUPID GIRL! WHAT WOULD YOU BE WITHOUT US? THE ONLY REASON YOU ARE STILL ALIVE IS BECAUSE WE HAVE MADE YOU STRONG, MADE YOU REALIZE THAT THE WORLD WANTS TO KILL YOU! WITHOUT US, YOU ARE NOTHING!_

The sudden onslaught from the voices was almost enough to break down Elsa's defenses. But she withstood their barrage, gritting her teeth, refusing to back down.

"You have made my life a living hell for thirteen years!" Elsa cried. "I have been terrified ever since the day you first spoke to me!"

_AS WELL YOU SHOULD BE! _howled the voices. _WE KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR PATHETIC LITTLE EXISTENCE! WE OWN YOU! WE CONTROL YOU!_

"NOT ANYMORE!" screamed Elsa. "I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE! GO AWAY NOW!"

The voices screamed as Elsa's mental assault pushed them to the precipice of her mind. Elsa could sense she had an advantage and continued pressing. "YOU DON'T BELONG HERE! THIS IS MY MIND! _MY MIND!_"

The howling intensified, thousands upon thousands of whispers mingling with thousands of screams, caterwauling through the halls of Elsa's consciousness. The voices may have been in dire straits, but they were not through fighting yet. Marshalling their strength, they launched their last-ditch attack in an all-out assault to regain dominance.

_YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE! _they roared. _YOU WILL ALWAYS LIVE IN FEAR! YOUR FATHER SAW IT! YOUR SISTER SEES IT! YOUR KINGDOM SEES IT! YOU ARE WEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAK!_

The pressure in Elsa's mind was unbearable. Her face contorted in excruciating agony as she sank to the ground, exhausted, bombarded with wave after wave of negative energy. She was almost to her breaking point, and the voices knew it.

Just as she feared she would be overwhelmed, the sense of calm she had experienced moments earlier returned. _I don't have to be afraid anymore! _she reminded herself. _I don't have to be afraid! No fear. No fear. NO FEAR!_

With all the strength she could summon, more than she had ever used before, more than she even knew she had, Elsa forced herself to her feet. Head tall, arms outstretched, she roared: "GET OUT!"

Screaming, twisting, flailing, more screaming, agony, pain, fear, no fear, loudness, softness, her mind was on fire as the howling and the screeching and the chaos raged and raged and raged and then—

Nothing.

* * *

"_Elsa, Elsa! Wake up! Wake up!"_

_The young princess groggily opened her eyes to see her younger sister, a five-year-old bundle of boundless energy, staring directly into her face. Moaning, Elsa pulled the pillow over her face._

"_It's way too early for this, Anna. Go back to sleep!"_

"_I know."_

_Elsa groaned loudly. "Then why are you bothering me?"_

"_Well, I already tried to go back to sleep once, but the sky's awake, so now _I'm _awake!" the younger princess replied._

_The pillow was swiftly yanked off of Elsa's face, and she knew she had no chance of winning this battle. However, she wasn't about to let Anna know she had won quite so easily._

"_Then go play with the sky," Elsa said. "The rest of us will be up at a decent hour."_

"_But, Elsa . . ."_

_Elsa smiled; she loved making Anna work for this. "What?!" she replied in mock exasperation._

_Anna was most definitely pouting, her lower lip jutting out at least half an inch from her jawline, arms crossed. "The sky's no fun."_

"_Well, then," Elsa replied, "I suppose you'll have to find someone to play with who is. I'm sure whoever it is would love to play with you. At a decent hour, of course."_

"_Elsaaaaaaa!" Anna whined, tugging on her older sister's arm._

_Elsa rolled over on her stomach and stared eye-to-eye at Anna, their noses so close they were almost touching. She couldn't hold it in anymore: a huge grin broke out across her face. "So, what do you want to play today?" she asked._

_Without hesitation, Anna blurted out, "Wanna build a snowman?"_

"_I thought you'd never ask!" Elsa sat up, holding her hands across from each other. Fingers glowing, snow—real, genuine snow—appeared between her hands. The princess carefully moved her hands over and around each other, like a potter molding clay. Satisfied, Elsa allowed the magic to recede into her body and handed her creation to her sister. It was a perfectly-formed miniature snowman, complete with a grinning face and sticks for arms. "What do you think?"_

_Anna cradled the work of art gleefully in her hands. Beaming at Elsa, she asked: "Can we make a bigger one?"_

_Elsa leaned in to her sister, embraced her, and whispered in her ear: "Of course we can!"_

* * *

Elsa opened her eyes, squinting as the rising sun shone in them. Not moving, not making a sound, she listened, really _listened _for the familiar noises in her mind.

She heard nothing. Uncertain, unwilling to raise her hopes, Elsa probed her mind, seeking out anything that hinted at the presence of her tormentors. _Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!_

Tears of joy streamed down her face as she realized that the voices were finally gone. Her mind was truly hers again, and hers alone.

Trembling, Elsa surveyed her surroundings. She was standing across from a huge chasm, completely impassible. And yet, Elsa sensed that on the other side of the chasm was where she needed to go.

_What am I going to do? _she wondered. _I _must _get over there. But how?_ Elsa racked her brain, trying to think of a solution, when it dawned upon her. Since she was far, far away from anyone she could possibly hurt, surely it wouldn't cause any harm if she used her powers to cross?

_But it's been so long since I've consciously used them! What if I can't control them anymore? _The familiar worries crept back into her mind, not from the voices, but from herself.

Her father's words echoed back: _All you have to do is believe it too._ _Believe. Believe. Believe. . . ._

Gingerly, carefully, like a child playing with a small kitten, Elsa closed her eyes, and gently waved her hand with one thought in mind: _Snowflakes._

Opening her eyes, she saw nothing, and her heart sank. But then she looked up and was delighted to see hundreds of tiny snowflakes glittering all about her, swirling around her, awaiting their instructions.

_Left! _she silently commanded, throwing her arms to her left side. Immediately, her snowflakes obeyed, swirling about in a whirlwind of her creation and flinging themselves to her left. Waving her hand again, Elsa conjured another swirl of snowflakes.

_Right! _The snowflakes followed her arms and blew to her right.

Ecstatic, Elsa became bolder. She circled her arms in front of her, feeling her power building inside of her, growing more and more confident in herself. She flung her arms above her head and a burst of snow erupted all around her, spreading out in a giant circle with herself as the origin.

Laughing triumphantly, Elsa raced to the edge of the chasm. Closing her eyes, she envisioned a giant bridge stretching across the span. She could seeit forming in her mind's eye: the foundation, the supporting pillars stretching miles and miles below, the walkway, the railings. Opening her eyes, she was delighted to see the first part of the bridge had already formed out of snow.

Summoning the same energy she had used to cross the fjord, Elsa confidently stepped on the snowy walkway. Instantly, the bridge froze and became solid ice. _It's working! It's working! _she thought. No longer content to merely run—she had _far _too much energy for that—Elsa took off at a full sprint, arms extended before her. And as she ran, snow and ice swirled about her as the rest of the bridge formed in front of her. Not slowing down for an instant, Elsa raced across her bridge, grinning from ear to ear at her success.

Once across the chasm, Elsa surveyed her surroundings. A large recess had formed in the rock over millennia, at least 200 feet tall. _If I am the snow queen, _she thought, _then this would be the perfect place for a snow queen to live._

No longer constrained by doubt, by fear, by guilt, remorse, responsibility, Elsa gathered all of her power and said one word: "ICE!"

She slammed her foot to the ground and a shockwave at least 80 feet in diameter exploded outward. A giant snowflake pattern appeared on the ground as thick, thick ice began to spread and take form. With one wave of Elsa's arms, giant columns sprouted from the ground. With another wave, icy parapets and walls began to merge with the columns, forming the shell of a giant ice palace.

But Elsa wasn't finished. She swirled and twirled about the floor, and as she did, rooms, chandeliers, staircases sprouted, each falling exactly into place. _And now, for the grand finale! _she thought. Summoning all of her energy, she launched an enormous wave of ice toward the ceiling. It exploded into thousands of smaller ice pieces that scattered throughout the palace. Beautiful, intricate, not-quite-natural-and-yet-not-quite-manmade icicles and stalactites formed throughout the ice palace, giving the entire structure an ethereal, crystalline beauty.

Just as the crystals finished forming, sunlight burst through the giant window Elsa had created in the foyer. As the light contacted the crystals, it burst into thousands upon thousands of miniature lights. The ice palace of the Snow Queen Elsa sparkled and gleamed. It truly was a work of beauty.

Elsa opened her eyes and marveled at her creation. _This is a place where I can live in peace, without hurting anybody! _she thought. Only one matter of unfinished business remained. Summoning her magic once again, she sent it swirling across her dress. The tight, constricting regal uniform she was wearing sparkled and transformed into a glittering masterpiece of an ice-blue dress, complete with a slit down the side to allow her the freedom to move unencumbered and a long, flowing cape sparkling with snowflake patterns.

Elsa reached to her hair, still formed in the tight bun she always wore. Without hesitation, she undid the bun, allowing her braid to hang freely, swaying as she walked.

No longer held captive by her worries, no longer encumbered by the expectations of her office or of her subjects, Elsa screamed with jubilation as she cast aside her former credo of _conceal, don't feel _and embraced a new one, one far more suitable for her new circumstances.

_No fear. No pain. Freedom!_

* * *

**AN: This was by far the hardest chapter to write yet. The film does a brilliant job of visually expressing Elsa's newfound sense of freedom. It was so difficult to find a way to translate those visuals into prose. Oh, and I wouldn't count on the voices being gone just yet. There's a reason that word is the title of this work.**

**To all those who have contributed reviews, especially FlashFreeze0 who has dutifully reviewed each and every chapter, I want to express my undying gratitude. What began as a simple one-shot has evolved into something far greater than I had ever intended. Just as Elsa is breaking free from what she knows, I am stepping out of my comfort zone in writing fan fiction for the first time. This story just speaks to me for some reason, and I hope I can continue to tell it to your satisfaction.**


	8. Chapter 8: Trepidation

**Voices **

**Chapter Eight**

**Trepidation**

Time had lost all meaning to Elsa. Alone in her crystalline wonderland, she had ceased to worry about the world beyond the ice palace doors. She paid no notice to how much time had passed—it may have been twelve hours, or twenty-four, or an entire week. She was alone again, it was true, but the isolation she now experienced was no longer full of sorrow, foreboding, worry.

For the first time in her life, Elsa knew she truly was the master of her own destiny. No longer did she have to sublimate her own desires for the betterment of others. If she wished to spend the morning sitting on the terrace, soaking in the magnificent view of the mountain landscape, she would do so. If she felt like remaining in bed for the better part of the morning, she would stay in bed.

Her primary pastime, however, was to wander the halls of her new home, exploring what she had created, marveling at her growing control over her powers. As she walked, she would continue to refine her ability to conjure snow and ice at will. Feats that once took incredible amounts of concentration to accomplish she could now complete with a simple gesture. The palace was now decorated with ice sculptures of all shapes and sizes, some intended to represent living creatures, others merely forms and shapes of her own design.

As she gazed at her artwork, she caught sight of one she had created just a few hours before. Picking it up and studying it, she noticed it was shaped like a butterfly. The detail was exquisite, with ice so perfectly formed that she could practically see the veins in the wings, the hairs on the legs, detail finer and clearer than any of the finest ice sculptors could have created.

_Butterfly, _she thought. _Fly away, butterfly. _Memories swirled in her head and for a moment she allowed herself to lose herself in them. . . .

* * *

_It had been two years since his young daughter had been confined to her bedroom. Two long years of solitude, quiet. What had once been a palace full of joy and laughter was now silent, cold, like a tomb. _

_ Not a day went by in which the king didn't question his decision. _She can't be out! She's too dangerous! She nearly killed Anna! You did the right thing! Keep her locked away until she learns to control herself!

But it wasn't her fault! _he argued with himself. _It was an accident! She didn't mean for any of this to happen!

That's not the point! _The rational half of his mind was speaking now. _You saw the fear in her eyes, the terror at what she can do! She knows she cannot be like other children!

What kind of father are you? _the emotional side countered. _What sort of man locks his daughter away and tells her it's because she is a danger to the world? What do you think that's doing to her?!

_The king could take no more of this. _I am doing what I believe is best for Arendelle. That is my responsibility. All other considerations must be secondary to this.

Even your own daughter's happiness? _he thought bitterly._

_ The king approached Elsa's bedroom door, prepared for his usual appointment. As he went to knock, he paused. Listening closely, he could hear what sounded suspiciously like quiet sobs._

_ "Elsa?" he asked, gently rapping on the door. "It's me. Is everything okay?"_

_ The sobbing stopped. He could hear Elsa's footsteps softly approaching the door. The door opened and he stepped inside._

_ The walls of the bedroom were coated in a thick layer of frost. A small flurry of snowflakes danced about the room. The king sighed. _Not again. _"Elsa, we've talked about this. You have to do a better job of controlling your emotions. When you get emotional, that's when your powers get out of control and this—"_ _he gestured to the walls, "happens."_

_ Elsa hadn't moved from the doorway. Her head was bowed in shame and her right hand was closed in a tight fist, clutching something tightly. The king could see fresh tears pouring from her eyes, and he cursed himself for being so harsh with his daughter with his first words to her. He gestured toward her bed. "Elsa, come sit with me. Tell me what's wrong."_

_ Slowly, delicately, Elsa crossed the room to her bed and sat next to her father, her fist still tightly clutched, as if she never wanted to let go of whatever she was holding._

_ "Elsa?" asked the king again. "Please talk to me."_

_ Elsa raised her head and met the king's eyes for the first time. Her voice cracked, and she stammered noticeably as she spoke. "I'm so-sorry, Father. I didn't mean to. I just. . . I just wan-wanted to see it so ba-badly. I . . . I . . ."_

_ "Elsa, it's okay. Now, what are you talking about?" the king asked gently._

_ Sniffling, Elsa wiped the tears from her eyes. "I was looking out the window. It's so beautiful outside now that spring is here. And I just wanted so badly to go outside and feel the sun, and smell the flowers. And then . . . and then . . ."_

_ She took a deep breath and continued. "A little butterfly flew up to the window and landed right next to where I was standing. It was so beautiful, and I thought that it couldn't hurt anything if I let it in, just for a moment, so I could hold it and see how beautiful it was, because it's been _so long _since I've seen a real butterfly. So I . . . I opened the window just enough for it to fly in and it landed right on my arm, and I've never seen one that close before. And its wings were so beautiful, and I just wanted to know what they felt like. So I touch—"_

_ It was all Elsa could now not to begin sobbing again. "I touched its wings with my finger. Just for a second. And I . . . did this!"_

_ The princess opened up her hand and her father saw a butterfly, completely encased in ice. Involuntarily, the king brought his hand to his mouth in horror._

_ Elsa saw his reaction and the tears began to flow once more. "Please don't hate me, Father! I didn't mean for it to happen! I tried to stop it! I tried to bring it back, but I couldn't! I couldn't!"_

_ The king embraced his sobbing daughter, trying desperately to suppress his own tears and the pain he felt over her misery. As he held her tightly, he heard her whisper, "I wish I could be a butterfly and fly far, far way. Then you wouldn't have to worry about me hurting anyone ever again!"_

_ The king sat Elsa on his lap, holding her so their faces were merely inches apart. "Elsa, why does the caterpillar have to hide in its cocoon?"_

_ "Wh-what?" Elsa asked, fearing it was a trick question, that her father was about to launch into a verbal assault on why she was a terrible daughter and a despicable human being._

_ The king smiled and asked again, "Why does the caterpillar have to hide in its cocoon when it's time for it to stop being a caterpillar?"_

_ "Because . . . because it has to change into a butterfly. And it can't do that unless it goes into the cocoon."_

_ "Exactly, Elsa," the king said. "Right now, you are that caterpillar. You have to hide away right now, just for a while, until you can blossom into a beautiful butterfly."_

_ "You don't . . . you don't think I'm a monster?" Elsa asked, cautiously._

_ "I _know _you aren't," the king said. "You have been born with a great gift. But you have to learn to control it, because people outside don't know how to react when they see someone who is different. But trust me, Elsa. You will succeed. You will become a beautiful butterfly. And then the whole kingdom will see how wonderful you are. So just be patient. Conceal, don't feel. Learn to control your power. Then, when the time is right, you can spread your wings and soar like the butterfly that you are."_

_ Elsa smiled. "Thank you, Father." She embraced him in the tightest hug she could muster. "I love you."_

_ "I love you too, my beautiful butterfly," whispered the king, silently praying that he was right and that Elsa would learn to control her abilities._

* * *

The memory had faded. Elsa returned the butterfly sculpture to its pedestal and stood for a moment in silent contemplation.

_Well, Father, _she thought. _You were partly correct. I did turn into something, but I'm not certain I am the beautiful butterfly you expected._

She closed her eyes, and braced herself for the mocking voices she was so used to hearing in a moment of weakness. But they did not come. _They're not there, _she reminded herself. _You don't have to be afraid of them. They can't hurt you anymore!_

Elsa was about to return to her bedroom and rest when she heard a sound from the main hallway that she had never expected to hear. Three knocks at the door rang throughout the palace. _Impossible! _she thought. _No one could have found me up here!_

She could hear the door open—_why _had she not created locks on the doors?!—and she began to panic. _Is it the guards? The villagers? Have they found me? Did they lead some kind of raid all the way up the mountain?_

Her fear subsided when she heard a familiar voice echo in the expansiveness of her dominion. "Elsa? Elsa? It's me, Anna!"

_Anna? _Elsa thought. Her heart leapt with excitement and she rushed toward the staircase, not believing it to be real.

But she was there! Anna was there, at the foot of the main staircase. Smiling, Elsa stepped forward. "Hello, Anna."

The princess of Arendelle looked up at the voice and gasped. At the top of the staircase was her sister, but she looked so . . . _different. _Gone were the constricting clothing, the tightly-wound hair, the scared look that so often haunted her face. Elsa was now resplendent and beaming, her hair flowing down her back in a long braid, her dress sparkling in the midday sunlight.

"Elsa! You look . . . you look amazing!"

Elsa blushed, embarrassed. "Thank you."

"And just look at this place. This is . . . this is unlike anything I've ever seen before! Did you make this? All of it?"

Elsa nodded. "I guess I never realized how much I am capable of, until now."

Anna rushed up the stairs, stopping in front of her older sister. "Elsa, how long? I mean, how long have you known that you can do . . . all of this?"

Elsa hung her head. "Ever since we were little," she whispered.

Anna was confused. "And you never told me? Why?"

Elsa didn't answer. _Please don't ask me about this._

"Did Mother and Father know?" asked Anna, pressing the issue.

"Yes," Elsa said, her eyes now full of sorrow once more. "They knew. All too well."

Anna was now clearly upset. "So everyone in this family knew about this _amazing _gift you have except for me? Why is that? Didn't you trust me? Did you not love me enough to share this with me?"

_If only you knew the truth, Anna, _Elsa thought. But of course she didn't remember; the magic wielders who had saved her life had made sure she wouldn't.

"Of course I loved you. I was just . . . afraid."

"Afraid?" Anna asked, not understanding. She moved closer to Elsa, wanting so badly for her sister to trust her, to confide in her. "Afraid of what?"

"Of hurting you!" Elsa shouted. "Of doing horrible things to you because I can't control it! This 'gift' you think is so incredible isn't a gift at all, Anna! It's a curse! You have to understand, Anna. I was scared—we all were—and we didn't want anything to happen to you. So we thought that locking me away and keeping us apart was the only way to keep you safe. Because I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you!" _Again, _she added in her mind.

_So that's why she was always distant, _thought Anna. _It all makes sense now! She went through all of that just to protect me? Oh, God, how miserable she must have been! _

"But you don't have to protect me anymore, Elsa," Anna said softly, cautiously approaching Elsa. "Let me in. Let me help you. Come back to Arendelle with me and we can set everything right!"

Elsa drew back. "Go back to Arendelle? I can't do that! They all saw what I did! They'll lock me away for the rest of my life, if they don't kill me first!"

"I've explained to everyone that it was all my fault, that I pushed you, I upset you, that you didn't mean for any of that to happen. You're still their queen, Elsa. Our people need you. _I _need you!"

"Nobody needs me, Anna," Elsa whispered bitterly, turning away. "It's better for everyone if I stay here, alone." _She would not cry, she wouldn't, she wouldn't! _She turned back to face Anna. "But you need to get home now. Please. Go home and live your life the way you've always wanted! Open the gates! Let in the summer! _Be happy!_"

"Um, well, about that," Anna said. _She doesn't know, does she? _"There's kind of a . . . situation in Arendelle right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that . . . it's just that, um, when you got scared and ran away, you apparently set of some kind of eternal winter. Everywhere."

_What? _Elsa thought. _That's not possible! It can't be!_

"And," Anna continued, "we're doing the best we can, but it's only getting worse. Unless this winter stops soon, Arendelle isn't going to survive beyond this month."

_No! No! No! It wasn't supposed to be like this! _Elsa was so distraught that she failed to notice the familiar buzzing sound beginning to build, slowly but surely, in the recesses of her mind.

"So, you see, that's why we need you to come home, Elsa," Anna said. "You're the only one who can stop this winter. Please," she said, offering Elsa her hand. "Come back with me."

"I . . . I can't!"

"Elsa, you don't have to be afraid! Please! Don't do it for me! Do it for our people! Without you, they will die!"

"You don't understand!" Elsa cried. "I don't know how to stop it! I can't do it! I can't do it!"

The buzzing sound was growing louder, loud enough that Elsa suddenly took notice of it. _What the—? Oh, NO!_

"Yes, you can!" Anna cried. "I know that, together, we can figure out a way to make things right! Just come home! Let me be your sister again! Please!"

But Elsa didn't hear Anna. All she could hear was the infernal buzzing, and the whispers that she thought were gone forever were beginning to come back, and they were not happy at all. _Now, THAT wasn't nice at all, dearie, locking us away like that. And you thought you had gotten rid of us. We are part of you! You can't escape from us!_

"No," Elsa whispered. "No!"

_And now look what you've done, snow queen! You're the reason your precious Arendelle is on the verge of extinction! If you had listened to us and gone back when we told you to, your subjects might have had a chance of survival! Now it might be too late! How does it feel to be a murderer? MURDERER!_

"I am NOT a murderer!" Elsa cried. "It was an accident!"

Anna saw her sister clutching her head, doubled over in agony, screaming at voices that only she was able to hear. "Elsa?" she whispered in horror. "Elsa!"

Elsa was barely able to make out her sister's voice over the growing maelstrom in her mind. "Go away, Anna! Get out now! I don't know how much longer I can control them!"

Snow and ice swirled around Elsa, faster and faster, until she was barely visible amongst the squall and the howling.

"I won't leave you here!" Anna cried. She rushed to her sister, fighting the wind and the ice to try to get near her. "Please, just let me help you!"

_Foolish snow queen! _the voices roared. _You have signed your beloved people's death warrants! History will remember you as Elsa the Terrible, the queen responsible for the destruction of Arendelle! Murderermurderermurderermurderermurderermurderermurderer—_

"Elsa! Please! Come with me!"

It was all too much, too much, too much, between her sister's pleading, and the voices screaming, and her agony and guilt over what she had done and she couldn't hold it inside anymore she had lost all control once again because she was a monster that's right she was a monster because all she did was hurt people and she couldn't help herself until finally she screamed: "I . . . I . . . I CAN'T!"

Ice and snow exploded from Elsa, shaking her palace to its very foundation. Unseen by Elsa, Anna collapsed in agony, clutching her chest from where some of Elsa's ice magic had struck her. Both women lay on the floor, each suffering in their own fashion.

The door opened again. Footsteps raced up the staircase. "Anna? Anna!" a man's voice cried out.

Elsa opened her eyes and saw a young man she didn't recognize slowly, carefully helping Anna to her feet. "Are you all right?" he asked Anna.

"I'm fine," Anna answered. She looked at her older sister, her tormented, tortured older sister. "Elsa, please come back with us," she whispered. "We can help you."

"No, Anna," Elsa whispered, the truth now crystal clear in her mind. "No one can help me. Everyone who gets close to me ends up dying. I'm staying here."

"Elsa, no!"

"GET OUT!" Elsa roared, and Anna shrank back in terror as for the first time she realized why Elsa was so terrified of herself. This was not her sister in front of her, her loving, protective sister. This was a tormented, broken woman who truly believed she was unworthy of love, of caring, of salvation.

Elsa covered her face in her hands, horrified by how she had just spoken. "Anna, I'm so sorry. Please . . . forgive me. But you have to leave. And if you won't leave willingly, you leave me no choice."

The Snow Queen of Arendelle waved her hands. A giant snow creature appeared before her, menacing, terrifying. "Escort them out of the palace," she ordered. "Then stay outside. Make sure no one ever enters this palace again."

"Elsa," Anna whispered, making one final plea for her sister. "Elsa, it doesn't have to be this way!"

Elsa could not bring herself to look at her sister, so great was her shame. "Yes, it does," she replied. "I'm sorry, so, so, sorry."

As the snow creature led Anna and her companion out of the castle, Elsa fell to the floor, sobbing over and over again as the voices swirled in her mind once more, mocking her, insulting her, tormenting her over and over and over again until at last she could take no more and she fell into a dreamless, silent slumber.

* * *

**AN: I have been wanting to write the conversation between Elsa and Anna for a long time. I hope I did a good job with the dialogue and showed how each woman wants to help their sister, in their own way. Please keep feedback coming.**


	9. Chapter 9: Assault

**Voices**

**Chapter Nine**

**Assault**

The walls of the ice palace had changed radically since Anna's departure. The once-smooth crystals had become jagged, menacing. The palace walls, once ice-blue and sparkling, were now opaque, dark, uninviting. The temperature in the palace had once been cool, yet inviting. Now, the palace was mired in an eternal cold snap, temperatures plunging dangerously low.

Elsa paced worriedly in her bedchamber, a constant swirl of ice and snow following her every step. No matter how hard she tried, she could not relax, could not calm herself. Anna's news regarding Arendelle's fate had disturbed her greatly, adding even more guilt and pain to her already tortured conscience.

_How do I stop this? _Elsa racked her brain. _There _must _be a way. Maybe I could send the storm into the mountains! Wait, I have no idea how to do that! _The speed of her pacing intensified. _Maybe if I concentrate I can turn the snow into rain and melt the ice! _She stretched out her hand, focusing, willing herself to release liquid water rather than frozen ice.

Several water drops began to drip from her fingertips. _It's working! It's working!_ she thought triumphantly. Without warning, the water drops turned to icicles and a steady torrent of pure ice filled the bedroom.

Elsa roared in frustration, slamming her hands down on the bed. The snowstorm in the bedroom began to grow stronger, snowflakes becoming thicker, the wind howling faster.

_And we thought that last idea was a winner, snow queen! _came the all-too-familiar taunting. _At this rate, Arendelle will be under fifty feet of ice before you're able to help them._

"Not now!" Elsa shouted. "Please! I need to concentrate! You can have your fun later, but leave me alone now!"

_Not a chance, snow queen! _came the response. _You tried to shut us away forever. We don't appreciate that at all. No, not at all! So we will pop in and out as often as we want, because we—_

"Silence!" Elsa cried, sending another wave of ice cascading around the bedroom as the voices laughed.

The young queen resumed her frantic pacing. _Don't feel! _she whispered. _This whole mess happened because you had to get emotional! Don't feel! Don't feel! Control it! Control it!_

As she tried to figure out something—anything—that would save Arendelle from the plight she had caused, a bloodthirsty howl rang out across the mountain range. Elsa rushed to her window and gasped in horror. The snow creature she had summoned earlier was doing battle with something. In between its monstrous roars, Elsa could hear human screams and cries for help.

_No! No! Please, no! Please don't tell me I'm responsible for someone's death! _Frantically, Elsa tore out of her bedroom and rushed down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time, making her way down the series of long, winding staircases to the foyer, ignoring the familiar ringing in her ears. _We told you! We told you! We TOLD YOU! You are a murderer! Murderer! Murderer!_

Finally reaching the front door, Elsa flung it open and froze in terror. The creature was engaged in a violent battle against a small band of men, each of whom were desperately trying to avoid being crushed under the bulk monster's bulk. She watched, horrified, as the creature—her creation—swung its arms violently, knocking some of the men down, then repeating the process over and over again.

One of the men drew a sword and leapt toward the creature, bringing his sword down across the creature's leg, severing it. The creature roared in agony and turned to crush the life from this ant that had caused it such pain.

But the creature no longer had control over its balance. Without its leg, it was becoming more and more difficult for it to maintain its footing. The men realized that this was their opportunity and took advantage of it. Circling the creature, they forced it back, leaping out of the way of the creature's flailing arms whenever they came close to crashing down upon them.

The creature was beginning to panic, and its flailing became more and more desperate, its primal instincts hoping that by increasing the speed of its assault, its attackers would be driven back. Unfortunately, there were too many men for that strategy to work, for each time the creature managed to knock away one or two of its adversaries, another appeared in its place.

The battle raged until the creature was backed up against the edge of the chasm. In a final, desperate effort, the creature slammed its fists into the ground, sending a violent shockwave across the mountain. Most of the men lost their balance and fell to the ground, then immediately began scrambling to climb away from the edge of the chasm before they plummeted to their deaths. Unfortunately, in doing so, the creature weakened the pile of snow on which it was standing. Without both legs to steady itself, the creature was helpless as an avalanche swept it away, dragging it, roaring and screaming, down to the depths of the chasm.

"NO!" cried Elsa as she watched her guardian plummet to its demise. Unfortunately, she now had a more pressing problem. The men had spotted her from across the chasm, had heard her cry out, and were crossing the bridge toward her palace.

The snow queen quickly closed the door. Concentrating with all of her might, Elsa spread a thick layer of ice across the door, hoping to seal herself inside. She had barely finished when she heard the men at the door. The door frame shook violently as the men tried in vain to open the door.

"She's sealed the door, sir!" cried one of the men. "We can't open it!"

"Step aside," came the voice of the one Elsa presumed was the leader. She could hear footsteps approaching the door, and although she knew there was no possible way they could get inside, she felt herself trembling.

_Not so brave now, are you snow queen? Hopefully, there won't be any unfortunate confrontations!_

"Queen Elsa," came the voice of the leader. "This is Prince Hans of the Southern Isles." _Prince Hans, _thought Elsa. _Anna's fiancée?_

"Let me explain the situation to you," Hans continued. "I have five men cutting down a very large tree as we speak. These men are very strong and they are very fast. When they are finished, they are going to ram the door of this palace until it opens. Then we will come in and we will take you back to Arendelle with us."

Elsa felt the familiar sensation of fear rising within her. She was completely trapped, with no options for escape. Frantically, she tried to think of a way to overcome her situation, but the situation appeared to be hopeless.

"Just go away!" she cried. "I don't want to hurt anybody."

"Your Majesty," Hans said, "out of respect for your sister's wishes, I have ordered these men not to attack you. However, if you show any aggression toward us, I cannot guarantee that you will be spared."

_What are you going to do? What are you going to do? What are you going to do, snow queen? Think! Think! THINK!_

"Your Majesty, please don't cause yourself any more pain. Open the door and come back with us."

Elsa swallowed, trying desperately to project a confidence into her voice that she knew she didn't have. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, Prince Hans," she said. "I am giving you the opportunity right now to turn around and leave. If you choose to attack me, I cannot guarantee that _your_ men will be spared."

Elsa's ultimatum was met with deafening silence. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Elsa called out "Prince Hans, were my conditions satisfactory?" Again, nothing. "Prince—"

The large window above the front door exploded into thousands of tiny ice shards. The force of the explosion threw Elsa backwards, slamming her into the staircase. Crying out in pain, Elsa forced herself back to her feet as two men, both armed with crossbows and swords, approached her.

Elsa raced up the staircase, her pursuers hot on her trail. Without thinking, Elsa ran and ran and ran, up the staircases and through the corridors, until she was back in her bedroom. Turning herself around to find another exit, she was cut off by the arrival of her assailants.

"Please," she begged. "I don't want to hurt you. Just stay back!"

The larger of the two men grinned wickedly. "I'm afraid we can't do that, Your Majesty. You see, our employer informed us before we left that you were worth more to him dead than alive. So, you see, our hands are tied here."

_He's going to kill you! Act first! Kill him now, then the other one! Do it, or you're dead!_

"Shut up!" Elsa cried. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

The two attackers were momentarily confused by Elsa's sudden outburst, but they quickly recovered. Drawing their crossbows, they each fired at Elsa.

Reacting, not thinking, Elsa called forth a large ice block. The block appeared directly in front of her, deflecting the arrows, sending them ricocheting harmlessly into the corner. Both men quickly reloaded their weapons and fired again. Once again, Elsa summoned another ice block, deflecting the arrows.

Elsa called forth her arctic ice and sent a blast of it sailing across the room, barely missing the feet of the larger attacker. He cried out in surprise and dove into the corner. The smaller attacker tried to get another shot off at her, but Elsa reacted first and sent a blast of ice directly towards his crossbow. The weapon froze in his hand, forcing him to drop the weapon.

_He's distracted! Now's your chance! _screamed the voices. _If you want to live, you have to do it now!_

And for once, Elsa listened to the voices. Before the smaller attacker could draw his sword and charge, Elsa unleashed a wave of ice crystals towards him. The crystals grew larger and larger, sharper and more terrifying. The man's arms were pinned against the wall as the crystals dug into the sleeves of his coat. A narrow, very sharp crystal slowly extended towards the man's throat, slowly, deliberately.

The larger attacker had recovered by this time and was charging toward her, sword drawn. With her right hand continuing to control the crystals pinning down the smaller assailant, Elsa used her left hand to summon a blast of arctic wind. The large attacker was thrust against the wall, unable to move, the strength of the blast so intense.

While he was restrained, Elsa quickly summoned a large block of ice. With a flick of her wrist, the arctic air pinning the attacker flung him in front of the terrace entrance. Before he had a chance to recover, Elsa sent the large block of ice sliding toward him at dangerously high speeds.

The attacker threw up his hands and shoved back against the ice block, and for a few terrifying seconds it looked as though he may have had the advantage. But Elsa redoubled her efforts, throwing the ice block and the man toward the edge of the terrace. Screaming, the man just managed to grab onto the edge of the terrace, desperately clinging for life.

_YES! YES! YES! _crowed the voices. _You have finally done what is necessary to protect yourself, snow queen! Now, finish them! Run the small one through the throat with your ice! Send the large one plummeting to his death! They tried to kill you! It was self-defense! Do it! Kill them! Kill them!_

Elsa's eyes had grown dark and murderous. _Maybe they're right, _she thought. _It would be so easy to just kill them! It wouldn't take any effort at all!_ A perverse grin formed across her face as her mind flooded once again with memories of her pain, loneliness, anger. _I am tired of being the one that has to suffer! It's time someone else shared my pain!_

Just then, Hans and his men burst into the bedroom. Hans saw the smaller assassin pinned in place, the long, sharp crystal less than half an inch from his throat. Glancing out at the terrace, he could see the larger assassin barely hanging on to the edge of the terrace. Elsa, for her part, was in the center of the room, each arm pointed at a different assailant. Cold, blue ice swirled from her hands as she prepared to execute those who dared to try to kill her.

"Queen Elsa!" he cried. "Killing them isn't going to change anything!"

_But it will make you feel so much BETTER! _roared the voices. _Don't listen to him! Kill them now!_

"Elsa, stop!" cried Hans. "Don't do it! Don't be the monster everyone thinks you are! You can show them that that's not who you are! Please!"

_Oh, make him shut up! Don't listen to a word he says. You are a monster, and monsters don't have feelings. Kill everyone in this room and go back to ruling the mountain!_

"Please, Elsa! Think of Anna! What would Anna say if she saw you like this?"

At the mention of Anna's name, Elsa's mind suddenly began to clear. Shakily, she dropped her arms. The ice energy she had been projecting dissipated, releasing both men from her grasp. She slowly brought her hands up to her face and shook her head over and over again. _NO! NO! What is happening to me? This isn't who I am!_

Hans let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Elsa stared at Hans, her eyes now bloodshot and dull, pleading. "Please," she whispered. "Please, help me!"

Just then, the smaller assassin retrieved his now-thawed crossbow and aimed it at Elsa. Seeing what he was about to do, Hans threw himself forward. "NO!" he cried, grabbing the man's arm just as he pulled the trigger. The arrow went wildly off target, crashing into the giant chandelier in the center of the ceiling. The massive structure began to crack and collapse.

"Elsa, MOVE!" roared Hans.

Without thinking, Elsa sprinted across the room. Behind her, the chandelier shattered into hundreds of pieces that went flying through the air. Something heavy struck Elsa in the back of the head and she collapsed into blissful oblivion.

* * *

**AN: A little bit of action to move the story along. More to come.**


	10. Chapter 10: Imprisonment

**Voices **

**Chapter Ten**

**Imprisonment**

Elsa slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing. Slowly, gingerly, she sat up in bed, wincing as a fresh rush of pain coursed through her skull. Groggily, she looked around, expecting to see the familiar ice pillars and fixtures of her bedroom.

Except she didn't see any of those! Instead, her gaze was greeted by dull, gray stone and iron bars. _Where am I? _she thought, a shiver of fright running down her spine. _What happened?_

Suddenly, the events of the previous day raced through her mind: Anna begging her to return home, Elsa throwing Anna out of the palace, the assault by the villagers, the collapse of her bedroom chandelier, the sharp blow to the head the rendered her unconscious.

Elsa pulled herself off of the cot she had been sleeping on, glancing out of the iron bars that formed the window of her prison cell. She still did not know where she was; all she could see was snow and ice for miles. Although, she did find it interesting that there were a large number of large ships resting on top of the ice, almost as if they were caught off guard by—

Realization dawned upon her. _It can't be!_ She rushed to the window, hoping that she was wrong, but something pulled her back just before she reached it. Annoyed, she turned to see what was restraining her.

It was then that she realized that her hands—not just her wrists, but her _hands_—were covered in thick manacles chaining her to the cot. Straining against them, she pulled herself as close to the window as she could, staring in horror.

She was back in Arendelle, looking out at the fjord. Snow swirled wildly about, coating the frozen ships in a blanket of white. What should have been a waterway bustling with activity, the lifeblood of Arendelle's economy, was silent, inactive.

_What have I done? _Elsa thought. _What have I done?_

The door to her cell opened and she turned to face the intruder. "Prince Hans!"

"You are very lucky to be alive, Your Majesty," Hans said. "You took quite a blow to the base of your skull. A fraction of an inch more in either direction and I wouldn't be speaking to you now."

"Hans, there's not time for this! You have to let me go! Arendelle isn't safe with me here!"

Hans nodded. "Believe me, I'm inclined to agree with you. However, you aren't going anywhere. Your ministers are upstairs now, debating the next course of action they should take. Half of them want to execute you immediately, while the other half is relishing the prospect of keeping you locked away down here for the rest of your life." He sat down on the cot. "Now, it's not my place to interfere with local politics, but due to the . . . gravity of this situation, I fear I must."

He leaned toward her. "Elsa, you must stop this winter. If you don't, your subjects are going to die. These are the facts we are dealing with here. Please, I am begging you."

"Don't you think I would stop it if I could?" Elsa cried. "Do you really think _this _is what I want for my people? I never meant for any of this to happen! All I wanted was to get through coronation day without any problems so I could go back to being alone, like I have always been. When everybody was safe from me. . . ."

Hans nodded, a grim look on his face. "I believe you," he said. "That's why I am truly sorry. I was hoping you would be able to undo this curse. That's the only reason I was able to keep you alive."

"Please," Elsa whispered. "You have to convince them to let me go."

"I will do what I can," he said. He stood up to leave.

"Can you please tell Anna that I'm here?" Elsa asked. "I would like to see her one last time, before . . ."

Hans turned back to Elsa. "I'm afraid Princess Anna has not yet returned from her search for you."

_What? No, please no! Let her be safe!_

"When she does return," Hans continued, "_if_ she returns, I will make her aware of your request." He opened the door to the cell, then stopped. "Oh, and one more thing." He reached into his pocket. "We had to take this off of you in order to put the manacles on. I wanted to be sure I returned it."

He opened his hand and laid the Eden-stone ring on Elsa's cot. "It's funny," Hans said. "I can remember it shining so brightly when the sunlight struck it during your coronation ceremony. I was certain the legend must have been true."

"What are you trying to say?" Elsa asked, her voice barely audible.

"When we brought you back—when it was still on your finger—no matter how much light shone on the ring, it remained dull and cloudy, as if it had never shone before."

Elsa's heart sank. _I knew it, _she thought. _I don't deserve to be queen. I never did. I NEVER did!_

Hans bowed to her, still following protocol despite the circumstances. "Your Majesty." Turning on his heal, Hans left the cell, leaving Elsa alone with her thoughts, and the voices, as her only companionship.

* * *

Elsa didn't know how much time had passed. It may have been a few minutes, it may have been several hours. All she heard was the swirling wind through her window, snow whipping about at a furious pace.

Her head shot up when the door to her cell opened again. She stood, expecting to see Hans again, hoping he would tell her the ministers had agreed to release her in exchange for her self-imposed exile. Her heart rose in jubilation when she saw—

"Anna? Oh, Anna, thank God you're all right! Hans told me you hadn't come back yet and I was so worried, and . . ."

Elsa paused. Something was seriously wrong. Anna was staring at her, coldly, unresponsively. "Anna?" Elsa said, cautiously. "Anna, what's wrong?"

Anna didn't approach Elsa, didn't look at her with her usual warm eyes. Rather, she glared at Elsa with a look of absolute contempt, refusing to move within three feet of her sister. "I've just spoken with Prince Hans, Elsa. He told me what happened back at the ice palace. _Everything._"

Anna's words stung in Elsa's ears. "Anna, please, let me explain—"

"Explain? _Explain? _What is there to explain?" Anna was yelling now. "How could you, Elsa? You nearly killed them! The sister I knew would _never _murder anyone, no matter what."

Elsa recoiled in guilt, shame, hurt. _She's right, you know! _the voices mocked.

"Anna, listen," she said weakly. "I didn't mean to—"

"Let me guess," Anna interrupted. "You didn't mean to do it. Just like you didn't mean to hurt me for all those years." Anna began speaking in a sarcastic impersonation of Elsa's voice. _"Anna, please,"_ she said in mock desperation. _"You don't understand! I was afraid I would hurt you! I only did it because I love you."_

Anna's gaze was now full of fury. "Well, _I _don't love you, Elsa," she spat. "I despise you!"

Tears formed in Elsa's eyes. _What is she saying?! _"You don't mean that," she whispered.

"You're a _freak!_" Anna roared. "How could I possibly love a freak like you? How could anybody? Do you really think Mother ever loved you? _Or Father?_"

The tears in Elsa's eyes cascaded down her face. "Anna, why are you doing this? _Why?_"

"Because I can't stand to have you in my life anymore! I don't want to talk to you! I don't want to see you! _Ever!_"

Elsa covered her face with her manacled-covered hands, at a loss as to how to respond. "Anna, please! _Please!_"

Anna stared at her coldly. "Freak!" she spat.

Elsa turned away, desperate to escape her sister's gaze, and gasped when realized she was facing Anna _on the other side of the room!_

"Abomination!" Anna snarled.

Elsa whirled about, and once more, impossibly, Anna was staring directly at her. "Monster!"

"NO!" cried Elsa, turning around once more. Once again, defying the laws of physics, Anna was there.

"Monster! Monster! Monster! Monster!"

Elsa whirled about, trying to avoid the screams and Anna's piercing gaze. No matter which direction she faced, however, Anna was staring at her, mocking her. Finally, barely able to think over the screaming, Elsa was able to piece together the horrible truth. "You're not Anna!" she cried. "You're not real! _You're not real!_"

Anna ceased screaming at Elsa and smiled, her lips curled in a malicious sneer. "Well, well, well, snow queen," she said, moving towards Elsa. "At last, dearie, you finally figured it out."

Elsa shrank backwards, tripping over her cot, falling to the mattress. "No! Stay away from me! _Stay away!_"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that, dearie," "Anna" said, slowly moving close to Elsa. She leaned in to Elsa, gently stroking her cheek as the queen cringed in terror. "You and I, we are too close for that."

"What are you?" whispered Elsa. _"What are you?!"_

"Anna" laughed, and as she did it was as if her features became waxy, smeared over, blurring, reshaping, until her face became visible again and Elsa felt her stomach tighten into a thousand different knots. _Not possible! Not possible!_

Standing before Elsa was an exact duplicate of Elsa herself. "Why, dearie," she spoke in Elsa's voice. "I'm _you!_"

_No! No! No! No! NOOOOOOO!_

Faux-Elsa sat next to Elsa. "At least, the part of you you've always tried to suppress. Your fears, your worries, your selfish desires. All of those things you've been taught to shut away. You've heard my voice many, many times over the years, dearie, and you've always fought me, because you're under the misguided illusion that there's something wrong with you, that you should suffer for your gift."

The duplicate gently stroked Elsa's hair. Elsa shrunk back at first, but it felt so good to finally have human contact from _somebody, anybody._ "Elsa, you don't have to fight it anymore. You don't have to live in fear." Faux-Elsa gently grasped Elsa's cheek and turned her head so they were looking at each other. "What do you think I've been trying to do for all these years? While the whole world has been telling you to hide, conceal, be ashamed of who you are, I've been trying to get you to embrace yourself! You have _nothing _to be ashamed of, Elsa! Now all you have to do is let me help you! Let me help you and you can have everything you've ever wanted!"

_Yes! _Elsa thought. _Yes!_

"There is no good and evil, Elsa," Faux-Elsa continued, rising and standing before Elsa again. "No right and wrong. There is only power: those who wield it, and those who must submit to it. _You _have that power. Use it! Make your subjects love you! Be the queen you were born to be! They should be worshipping you as their goddess! _Be her!_ Queen Elsa, beautiful, radiant, terrible in glory, worshipped and feared by her subjects!"

Faux-Elsa raised her arms in triumph, and an ethereal glow emitted from her body, so powerful that Elsa had to shield her eyes. "This is who you are, Elsa!" she cried."Embrace it!_ EMBRACE IT!_"

_YES!_

But then, Elsa hesitated. _No. No. This isn't me. _"No," she said, shaking her head.

Faux-Elsa glared at Elsa in shock and disbelief. "_What_ did you say?"

"I said, 'no.' This is not who I am."

"You have no idea what you are!" screamed Faux-Elsa. "Without me, you are nothing!"

"That may be," Elsa whispered, "but I will not listen to you. No matter what you may say."

Rage flared in Faux-Elsa's eyes. "Why are you so damn stubborn, snow queen? Why are you so opposed to being happy? Why would you rather live your life in exile when you could rule in triumph?!"

"Because," Elsa said, her confidence slowly building. "Because a king, or a queen, sometimes must make sacrifices for the good of their subjects. Even if . . . _especially if _. . . they must sacrifice their own happiness."

Faux-Elsa lost all pretense of kindness. "FOOLISH, WORTHLESS SENTIMENT! YOU ARE A STUPID, STUPID WOMAN, ELSA! ALL YOUR POWER! ALL YOUR GIFTS! AND YOU THROW THEM AWAY! FOR WHAT? FOR SOME NAÏVE SENSE OF MISPLACED MORALITY? YOU ARE A FOOL, SNOW QUEEN!"

"That may be," Elsa said, calmly. "But it's my life. Not yours. And I _choose _not to hurt my people. Not to rule through fear. Not to be a monster."

Faux-Elsa began to dissipate, her screams ringing loudly in Elsa's ears. "THEY WILL KILL YOU! YOUR OWN SUBJECTS WILL KILL YOU! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN GREAT! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A GODDESS! AND YOU'VE THROWN IT ALL AWAY! FOR NOTHING!"

Elsa closed her eyes as a brilliant flash of light filled her cell. When she opened them, she was once again alone in her cell, Faux-Elsa's receding screams in her mind the only sounds she heard.

_Oh, Anna! _Elsa thought. _Wherever you are, I hope you are safe. _She looked once more out the window, the storm growing progressively worse. _How do I stop this? How? How?!_

* * *

**AN: This was a fun chapter to write. I particularly enjoyed giving the voices a physical incarnation in faux-Anna and faux-Elsa. I think it gives them a little more dramatic weight than if they were simply in Elsa's head during this chapter. Please continue with feedback.**


	11. Chapter 11: Blizzard

**Voices **

**Chapter Eleven**

**Blizzard**

From the window in her cell, Elsa could see that the storm was getting worse. It was almost impossible to distinguish anything outside except for a constant wall of white. _It's me! _Elsa thought. _I'm causing this storm! As long as I'm here, Arendelle is in danger!_

Elsa jumped off of her cot and pulled on her manacles. Straining, she attempted to break herself free from her restraints, but they were too strong, and she collapsed from the effort.

Elsa summoned all of the ice she could into her hands. The manacles frosted over, turning blue from the extreme drop in temperature. But still they would not break!

Desperately, Elsa released all of her arctic energy in a concentrated blast. _Please break! Please break! Please break! _

The manacles buckled and twisted slightly, but still they restrained her. Elsa screamed in frustration as she threw herself back to the floor.

_Well, it was a nice try, dearie, _came the voices. _Better luck next time._

Elsa heard footsteps approaching the door to her cell. The door opened and four men entered.

"Queen Elsa, the ministers are unanimous in their decision," one of the men announced. "It has been decreed that you are to be executed immediately for treason against the land of Arendelle."

_What? No! No! No! No!_

"Please," Elsa begged. "Please, just let me go. I can run away. You'll never see me again. Please."

The men ignored her. "The sentence shall now be carried out."

One of the men carried a large ax and stood behind Elsa. "On your knees, Your Majesty," he spat, forcing her to the ground.

_Not like this! Not like this! Not like this! _Elsa thought. But she did not show her fear. If she was to be executed, she would leave this earth with dignity and grace.

As the executioner readied his ax, Elsa felt a sense of peace descend upon her, similar to what she had felt when she had fought the voices on the mountaintop.

"Does the prisoner have any last words before the sentence is to be carried out?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," said Elsa. Summoning all of her strength, all of her powers, she gathered them into the very center of her being and spoke one word: "ICE!"

The prison cell erupted, stone flying every which way, iron bars bending and ripping asunder, as a massive wall of ice erupted from Elsa and spread outward at incredible velocity. The men were knocked unconscious by the massive amounts of kinetic energy that rolled over them. The cell walls collapsed, gaping holes appearing where once had been solid rock. The manacles were torn from Elsa's hands and she stood and walked toward what had been a wall mere moments ago.

Without hesitating, Elsa leaped through the gap in the wall and disappeared into the blizzard. Behind her, she could hear Hans's voice screaming her name, but she was soon well out of his range.

Except now she couldn't see where she was going and she had no idea where she was. Elsa desperately searched for landmarks—anything—that she could use to guide her, but the more she looked about, the more disoriented she became. She was running just to run, with no idea where she was going, and she was beginning to panic, because what if she ran into the middle of the fjord and couldn't find her way back and froze to death, and the fears she had fought for so long to keep under control were finding their way back into her heart, and the voices—the voices that now were beyond furious with her—were coming back she could hear them now screaming at her.

_THIS was your master plan?! THIS?! We offered you power! We offered you glory! We offered you everything your heart ever wanted! And you still chose THIS?!_

"NO!" Elsa screamed. "Get away from me! I don't want you inside of me! I don't want you inside of me!"

_What you want is IRRELEVANT! You have ruined everything we have worked so hard for! Your kingdom is about to disappear! You have brought destruction to your entire world! Tell us, snow queen, exactly how have you succeeded?_

Elsa screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed, pounding her head, desperate to drive the voices away once and for all.

"Elsa!" came a voice from behind her. Startled out of her internal struggle, Elsa turned around. Hans was approaching her, slowly, carefully.

"Stay away from me, Hans!" she cried. "Please! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Elsa, you can't run away from this!" Hans said. "This is madness! You have to stop this winter now!"

"I told you, I CAN'T!" Elsa screamed. "I don't know how! I never did! I don't know what to do! Please! Just take care of my sister! Let me go! Let me run away and get away from everyone so no one else gets hurt!"

"Your sister?!" Hans asked, incredulously. "Elsa, Anna returned from the mountain not long ago. She told us . . . she told us you froze her heart!"

Elsa's heart skipped several beats. _What? That's impossible! I didn't . . . no I couldn't have . . . it can't be!_

"It's true!" Hans continued. "Elsa, her skin was like ice! Her hair turned completely white! She could barely move, she was so cold!"

_What did you do, snow queen? Did you hurt your sister? Did you? Did you? Did you?!_

Hans stepped forward. "Elsa, Anna . . . Anna is dead! She's dead, because of you!"

_NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! _Elsa's mind was pure chaos, as the voices cheered in exaltation—_murdereyoumurderedyourownsisterhowcouldyoumurderermurderermurderermurderer_—and her own thoughts raged against them—_IkilledherIkilledAnnahowcouldIdothisnononosayit'snottruesayit'snottrue_—and her entire world was spinning she couldn't tell up from down anymore and her stomach was tied in so many knots she was sure it would disintegrate and she realized that the one person in the world who loved her was now dead because she killed her and the rage and the anger and the fear and the revulsion everything was buildingandbuildingandbuildinguntilsheeruptedand—

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" Elsa screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed like she had never screamed before. She collapsed to the ice, completely spent, exhausted, nothing left in her body to feel but weakness and despair. And as she fell, the blizzard froze in its tracks, as if time had stood still. _ANNA!_

* * *

_The baby's screams echoed through the palace. It was the middle of the night, and, as had happened every night since she had been born, the infant princess had woken her parents for the sixth time in the same evening._

_ "Shhhh!" cooed her mother, rocking her, singing to her, desperately trying to get the poor child to stop screaming and go back to sleep. "Anna! Anna! It's okay! Please, go back to sleep! Shhhh!"_

_ But the infant only cried louder, her screams becoming more and more frantic. Her exhausted mother turned to her equally-exhausted husband, her face etched in worry and despair._

_ "She won't calm down!" cried the queen. "Nothing I've tried works! She has to go to sleep, but she just won't!"_

_ "Mama?" came a small voice from the doorway. "Mama, what's wrong with Anna? Why is she crying?"_

_ "Oh, Elsa," said the king, picking her up. "Nothing's wrong with her. Anna's just having a difficult time falling back to sleep."_

_ "But . . . but why is she crying?" asked Elsa. "Is she sad?"_

_ "No, sweetie," her father said. "Little babies can't tell us what they need, so they just cry until we figure it out."_

_ "Oh," said Elsa. "Do you think she would like to see some snow? Because when I see snow, it always makes me happy, no matter how sad I am."_

_ "Oh, Elsa," said the king, "I'm sure Anna would love to. But it's very late. You should go back to bed and—"_

_ Before the king could finish his sentence, Elsa had walked over to her mother and her screaming sister. "Hi, Anna!" she said. She was met with another scream._

_ "Shhhh! It's okay, Anna!" Elsa said. She brought her hands together and concentrated. A bright light formed from her fingertips. "Look, Anna! Look at this!"_

_ A giant snowflake, perfectly formed, exquisitely detailed, every crevice perfectly shaped, each angle mathematically precise, appeared and floated between Elsa's hands. Carefully, the young princess held the snowflake over the crying infant._

_ The baby gazed at the snowflake, and the crying finally stopped. Instead of wailing, the infant was cooing, giggling with delight._

_ "Do you like that?" asked Elsa. "Watch this!" Her powers swirled in her hands again, tiny snowflakes twisting around and around, and when she opened her hands again, a sculpture in the shape of a small teddy bear rested in the palm of her hand._

_ Anna let out a squeal and smiled. Her mother and father let out a sigh of relief as the infant yawned, then slowly closed her eyes. Soon, tiny snores emerged from the small bundle that was Princess Anna._

_ "Elsa, you did it!" her father exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you!"_

_ Elsa smiled down at her younger sister. "It's okay, Anna. I'm here. If you ever need anything, I will always be here for you."_

* * *

As she lay on the ice, broken, dejected, devoid of the will to carry on, Elsa heard footsteps approaching from behind. Hans had drawn his sword, and was now standing over her. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle, for the murder of Princess Anna, I find you guilty of high treason and sentence you to death."

_Fight back! Kill him! Give in to your fear! KILL HIM!_

No longer feeling anything inside, Elsa hung her head, shaking it several times to clear away the voices, and closed her eyes. "Just go ahead, Hans," she whispered. "Please. Just end it."

She heard the sword whistle through the air and braced herself for the moment when it would make contact with her neck.

The ringing of the sword as it made contact with the icy surface echoed across the fjord. The ringing died away, and then . . . silence.

* * *

**AN: More to follow.**


	12. Chapter 12: Absolution

**Voices**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Absolution**

_If this is death, _thought Elsa, _then __it's not at all what I expected._

She had expected to be greeted by something similar to what she had been taught in church as a little girl: either an angelic choir in some heavenly paradise, or unquenchable fire in which she would burn for eternity. Instead, she was still surrounded by snow and ice. Her eyes widened as she realized—

"I'm not dead!" she whispered. _How is this possible? _she thought. _Hans couldn't possibly have missed from this close. _Was she being taunted? Was Hans toying with her, trying to torment her for as long as possible before finally executing her?

But then she saw Hans's unconscious form lying on the ice not far from her, his sword now nothing more than broken fragments of iron. _How . . . what?_

Gingerly, Elsa pulled herself to her feet, closing her eyes as she did so to try to relieve the dizziness caused by her still-aching head. Eyes still closed, she turned and felt her hand brush against something ice cold and solid.

Elsa opened her eyes and then immediately closed them again, horrified, knowing that she was imagining things, that it _had _ to be another hallucination, that there was no possible way that what she had seen was real it just couldn't be it was so cruel oh God please no don't let it be true!

Elsa forced herself to open her eyes and realized that she had not imagined it, as she had hoped, but it was still there, _it was still there, Oh, God, no, it was still there!_ "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Staring back at her, unmoving, was Anna, or, rather, what was left of Anna. The once-lively, vibrant, beautiful princess was now nothing more than a statue of solid ice, her once-rosy complexion blue, icy, completely frozen. Elsa threw herself forward, grasping at the statue, hoping against hope that somehow, someway, Anna was still alive. "ANNA! ANNA, PLEASE! NO, ANNA! PLEASE, COME BACK TO ME! ANNA!"

But for all her abilities, for all her powers, Elsa was powerless to bring the dead back to life. Elsa embraced the statue that had once been her sister and an inhuman wail erupted from her throat, echoing throughout the fjord. Words cannot adequately describe the agony coursing through Elsa's soul in that moment. All she could do was continue to scream and wail and cling to her sister's body, never wanting to let go.

_Well, well, dearie, if this isn't irony! _came the familiar mocking. _You spent your entire life isolating yourself, trying to keep your sister safe. And, in the end, it was your own power that killed her! How tragic!_

"SHUT UP!" screamed Elsa, her entire body quaking with fury. All of Elsa's inhibitions were now stripped away, her tortured, mangled soul on full display. A loud groan caught Elsa's attention, and she saw Hans slowly pulling himself to his feet, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Before he knew what was happening, Elsa was standing over him. "Get up!" she ordered, her voice terrifyingly cold, completely devoid of emotion except for blind rage. "I said GET UP!"

Elsa unleashed a blast of artic air and Hans went flying across the fjord, slamming into the side of a frozen merchant vessel. Hans pulled himself to his feet, but somehow, impossibly, Elsa was already next to him. "Elsa? What are you—"

Hans screamed in terror as Elsa once again blew him across the fjord, his body slamming this time into a large, thick icicle. Screaming in pain, Hans stood again, looking desperately about for any sign of his attacker.

Out of nowhere, Elsa grabbed Hans's throat and violently yanked him from the ground. With a strength she didn't know she possessed, Elsa lifted Hans above her head with only one arm.

"Elsa? What are you doing? Please, Elsa!"  
"SILENCE!" the snow queen ordered. "You killed my sister!"

"Well, technically, you did when you froze her heart," Hans rambled nervously, "but I guess I did have something to do with it when she stepped in front of my sword and—"

"SHUT UP!" roared Elsa. Still holding Hans with one hand, she raised her other hand and conjured a dagger of pure ice. "I am going to enjoy watching you die," she whispered, her voice full of venom.

"Elsa! Wait! Please! El–, El–" Hans could barely speak as Elsa's fingers closed around his throat, her fingers colder than ice itself.

_Yes! YES! Run it through him, snow queen! Nice and slow! Do it! DO IT!_

"Yes," Elsa whispered, her eyes gleaming in fury. She raised the dagger and positioned it above Hans's heart.

"Wait . . . Elsa! An–, Anna! What . . . would . . . Anna . . . say?!"

Elsa stopped suddenly, her face twitching, her eyes confused, blinking, as if waking from a deep sleep. She released her grip and Hans fell to the ice. The once-proud prince head collided with the ice, and he sank back into unconsciousness.

_What are you doing? Why did you stop? Kill him! KILL HIM!_

Ignoring the voices, Elsa stared at the dagger in her hand, noticing for the first time just how _sharp _the blade was. "So smooth," she whispered, stroking it.

_I just want the pain to end . . . to make it all just stop!_

Before she could change her mind, Elsa raised the blade above her chest and drove it downward.

"ELSA!"

The shock of hearing her name, in _that voice, _caused Elsa to drop the blade just as it was right above her heart. Elsa raised her head, and saw a familiar figure running toward her. _Anna?! It can't be! _The exhausted queen collapsed to the ice, completely spent.

"ELSA! ELSA!"

The princess of Arendelle knelt by her sister, wrapping her arms around her. "Elsa! Elsa, speak to me! Please!"

Suddenly Elsa shot up, her eyes wild with fear. She looked at Anna and shrieked in terror. "NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Elsa screamed hysterically, pushing Anna away, trying to push herself across the ice away from what she was certain was another hallucination. "YOU'RE NOT REAL! YOU'RE NOT REAL!"

"Elsa! It's me! It's Anna! IT'S ANNA!"

"YOU'RE DEAD! I KILLED YOU! I KILLED YOU! YOU CAN'T BE HERE! YOU CAN'T BE! I KILLED YOU! I KILLED YOU! I . . . I . . ."

Elsa no longer had the strength to fight. Sobbing, she covered her head and rocked back and forth.

Gently, Anna wrapped her arms around her trembling sister, pulling her close. "Elsa, it's really me! I'm alive! I'm alive!"

Elsa opened her eyes and stared at the face of younger sister, no longer encased in ice, but once again alive as she ever was. "Anna," she whispered weakly. "Anna, you're all right!"

Tears flowed from Anna's eyes as she smiled at Elsa. "I'm here, Elsa! Everything's going to be okay!"

Confusion danced through Elsa's mind. "But . . . I froze your heart! How . . . how?"

"When I went to see the healers," Anna explained, "they told me that only an act of love could thaw a frozen heart. I thought I needed Hans to kiss me. But then he told me he didn't really love me. So then, I thought I needed Kristoff to kiss me. But, when I saw Hans about to kill you, I . . . I couldn't let him! So I threw myself in front of his sword just as my heart completely froze."

"You . . . you sacrificed yourself, for me?" Elsa asked. "After everything I've done to you, all the pain I've caused you . . . why would you do that?"

"Because . . . Because I love you, Elsa."

A fresh spasm of sobs tore through Elsa's body.

"Elsa?" asked Anna. "Elsa, what's wrong?!"

"How . . . can . . . you . . . love me?" Elsa managed to say through her sobs. "I've caused so much pain! I didn't mean to! I just wanted everyone . . . you to be safe from me! Don't you . . . don't you think I'm a monster?"

"Of course I don't!" Anna cried. "You're my sister and I will always, _always _love you!"

The two sisters embraced each other, holding each other as if there was nothing else in the world.

Suddenly, Elsa pushed Anna away.

"Elsa, what's wrong?"

Elsa said nothing, but stood and began to walk away.

"Elsa!" Anna cried. "Elsa, don't shut me out again! Not after everything we've been through!"

"What did the healer say?" whispered Elsa. "An act of . . . true love . . ."

"Will melt a frozen heart," Anna finished, not understanding. "Elsa, what are you—"

Elsa turned to face Anna, her eyes beaming in excitement. "Love, Anna!" she said. "Don't you see? Love will melt a frozen heart!"

"Elsa, I still don't understand—"

Elsa closed her eyes, concentrating, and for the first time in years, she allowed her heart to _feel. _No longer worried about concealing herself, her emotions, she allowed her love for Anna, for her subjects, for her kingdom to fill her heart. A strange sensation flowed through her body. Instead of the normally icy sensation she experienced when using her powers, this time she felt . . . _warmth._

Opening her eyes, Elsa laughed as she saw the snow melting, the ice breaking apart, swirling and twisting into a giant cloud high in the sky.

_What are you doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! _screamed the voices. _We ORDER you to return winter, to reclaim your throne by force!_

_ I'm not afraid anymore, _she thought. _It's time for you to go. _

_ You can't send us away! You need us! YOU NEED US!_

The voices screamed and raged in Elsa's mind, but she no longer heard them. The love she had always felt but had kept locked away now flowed throughout her mind, body, and soul. With a wave of her hand, the snow and ice she had gathered high above the kingdom formed a giant snowflake, then dispersed, leaving Arendelle once again in the warm embrace of summer.

It was then that Elsa realized the voices were still screaming at her. Calmly, she marshalled all of her mental energy, reinforcing it with her newly released love. _It's time for you to leave, _she repeated.

_YOU UNGRATEFUL BITCH! YOU WILL NEVER BE THE QUEEN YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH OUR HELP! YOU NEED US!_

_Goodbye._

With a final series of howls and screams, the voices sank deep into Elsa's mind until they disappeared into the abyss, forever.

Elsa opened her eyes and looked around, listening. She heard . . . water rushing through the fjord . . . the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze.

In her mind, she heard . . . silence.

Tears welled in her eyes again, and she smiled at Anna.

"Elsa?" Anna asked.

"They're gone," Elsa whispered. "They're gone! _They're finally gone!_"

* * *

The people of Arendelle were exultant. The winter that had descended upon their kingdom, nearly killing them all, had ended. Summer had returned. Their harvests, once feared irreparably damaged, had begun to grow and flourish once more. It was as if the entire ordeal had never happened.

Now, the villagers were gathered anxiously by the harbor as one of the many ships floating in the fjord sailed into port. Rumors had spread amongst the villagers that Princess Anna had been on the fjord when the storm had stopped and they had gathered to see for themselves.

The ship finally docked and her passengers began to disembark. First, with a rough shove, came a tied-up Prince Hans. Before he could get a word out edgewise, the palace guards were upon him, dragging him to the palace dungeon as he screamed in protest.

Next came Anna and her companion from her journey, Kristoff. At the appearance of the princess, the people roared in approval. Anna tentatively waved her at the crowds, not used to being the center of such attention.

Anna then turned behind her and stretched out her hand. The people gasped as they saw Queen Elsa take her sister's hand and slowly, nervously, descend to the dock.

The people of Arendelle stared in apprehension at the queen, terrified that another winter was about to be unleashed upon them. Elsa glanced about, her usually poised public demeanor nowhere to be found. Instead, she appeared to be a scared, anxious young woman. Finally, she managed to work up enough courage to speak.

"People of . . . of Arendelle," Elsa said, desperately trying to maintain her composure. "The past few days have been a nightmare for us all. I know that much of what has happened has been my fault, and I . . . wanted . . . to say . . ."

Elsa was finding it difficult to speak. She opened her mouth to continue, but the people were staring at her, casting judgment upon her, reviling her as a monster, and she knew she should be strong, but it was too much, and she collapsed to the dock.

Anna rushed to help her return to her feet, but Elsa refused. A fresh series of sobs racked her body, and she screamed in sorrow and in shame, desperately wishing that she could just run back to her ice palace and be alone once more.

Arendelle's citizens were thrown for a loss at their queen's collapse. As they watched their queen lying on the dock, completely broken and exposed, it became clear to them that she was no monster, no sorceress, no spiteful overlord, but merely a young woman overwhelmed with fear and guilt.

So focused were the people on Elsa's suffering that they did not notice a young girl step forward, slowly, carefully. The little girl approached Elsa and stood directly before her. Elsa, for her part, looked up from the dock and stared into the little girl's face, terrified at what would happen. _Is she going to call me a monster? To demand that I leave and never return?_

The little girl smiled, said "Your Majesty," and curtsied low before her queen. Stunned, Elsa allowed Anna to help her stand again before her subjects as, one by one, they bowed before her.

"Elsa!" cried Anna. "Elsa! Look at your hand!"

Elsa raised her left hand to her face and saw that the Eden-stone was shining once again, brighter than it ever had before. The crowd erupted in cheers at the sight, applause echoing across the fjord. Tears rolled down Elsa's cheeks as she embraced Anna, holding her tightly, never wanting to let go of her again. _I'm home! _she thought. _I'm home!_

* * *

Among the countless rulers in Arendelle's storied history, none were more beloved than Queen Elsa. Her wisdom and grace were legendary, and her people reaped the benefits as a veritable golden age of prosperity descended upon the kingdom. The gates to the palace, once locked up and impassible, were now always open to even the most common of citizens, and it was not uncommon for the Queen to spend her days visiting her subjects, both rich and poor alike, sharing the warmth of her love with all the people of Arendelle. And we would be remiss if we neglected to mention that her people thrilled to the sheer joy she displayed in using her powers to provide a brief reminder of winter even on the warmest of days.

And, to this day, if in the midst of the hottest of summers one happens to feel the cold rush of a winter's breeze, or experiences the briefest chill on an early-morning wind, the people of Arendelle will tell you that it is not a freak weather pattern or a momentary drop in temperature that is responsible. Rather, it is the work of Elsa, the Snow Queen, reminding all of us that feeling—_truly feeling_—the love we have for each other is what makes all men brothers, and all of us truly human.

* * *

**AN: I hope, in this final chapter, I have been able to wrap up the story to everyone's satisfaction. I have been truly blessed as I have worked on this to have such wonderful reviewers and supporters encouraging me, even when I had no idea where to take this story. Perhaps in the future I will reveal more stories from the Legend of Queen Elsa, but, for now, this is goodbye. Thank you all once again, and please, keep supporting each other's creativity in the unique manner this website provides.**


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